This student isn't even conservative, according to the info you present. She just appreciates some jokes told by conservatives. Which is fine. If liberalism should mean anything, surely it should mean being sufficiently free and open to laugh at ourselves.
Campus culture is horribly censorious, often with the full backing of authorities, like the ASA. The work you're doing, allowing students to take courageous steps towards free expression safely, is very important. I hope she reaches enough comfort to share her story with the class.
What's your gut feeling on the effect of your class on the censoriousness? It's certainly provided this girl with an opportunity to share her experience with you. How safe do you think it would be for her to speak openly on her anecdote?
Jonathan Haidt related an almost identical story (student OK being "outed" as gay, NOT OK being "outed" as conservative) ages ago. Probably pre 2020. And the data (at least from stated political party registration, which obviously misses the un-registered) has been widely skewed for a long time as well. It's one of the reasons Haidt (a self-proclaimed liberal) helped start Heterodox Academy. He recognized that peer-review -- so essential to science -- cannot function in the presence of ideological conformity.
And yes, I am often astounded by the apparent blindness of academia to the issue.
And I'm a huge fan of the Bee:
1) "Fake News You Can Trust". How can you not love that.
2) They lampoon liberals.
3) They lampoon conservatives: "Trump: 'I Have Done More For Christianity Than Jesus'" They completely nail Trump's bombastic style. I highly recommend reading the article for a good laugh.
This student isn't even conservative, according to the info you present. She just appreciates some jokes told by conservatives. Which is fine. If liberalism should mean anything, surely it should mean being sufficiently free and open to laugh at ourselves.
Campus culture is horribly censorious, often with the full backing of authorities, like the ASA. The work you're doing, allowing students to take courageous steps towards free expression safely, is very important. I hope she reaches enough comfort to share her story with the class.
What's your gut feeling on the effect of your class on the censoriousness? It's certainly provided this girl with an opportunity to share her experience with you. How safe do you think it would be for her to speak openly on her anecdote?
Jonathan Haidt related an almost identical story (student OK being "outed" as gay, NOT OK being "outed" as conservative) ages ago. Probably pre 2020. And the data (at least from stated political party registration, which obviously misses the un-registered) has been widely skewed for a long time as well. It's one of the reasons Haidt (a self-proclaimed liberal) helped start Heterodox Academy. He recognized that peer-review -- so essential to science -- cannot function in the presence of ideological conformity.
And yes, I am often astounded by the apparent blindness of academia to the issue.
And I'm a huge fan of the Bee:
1) "Fake News You Can Trust". How can you not love that.
2) They lampoon liberals.
3) They lampoon conservatives: "Trump: 'I Have Done More For Christianity Than Jesus'" They completely nail Trump's bombastic style. I highly recommend reading the article for a good laugh.