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Rant: Back in 2010, a professor at my school got shouted down for a lecture title.
It was a talk on immigration policy, just a normal Tuesday in the lecture hall. A student group rushed the stage with a megaphone before he could even start, calling the topic itself harmful. That week felt like a real turning point where listening stopped. Do you think campus protests have gotten more about shutting down talks than changing minds?
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stone.jesse1mo ago
That 2010 lecture hall rush-job was basically a dress rehearsal for the modern playbook. Now it feels like the main goal is to get the event canceled so you can post the win online, not to actually win an argument. The whole thing has turned into a performance art piece where changing a single mind counts as a plot hole. It's like we've decided the best way to fight bad ideas is with a louder, worse version of a town hall meeting.
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Wasn't there a big study a few years back about how these kinds of shout-downs actually backfire? I remember reading it made people dig in harder on their own views. It feels like a lot of campus protests now are more about making a statement for your own side than trying to win anyone over. That 2010 story sounds like an early example of that shift. It's a real shame because it just kills any chance for a real talk.
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