This poll is an attempt to discover how many RFers support some common progressive ideas, and which of these ideas are most widely supported here. Many of these are complex ideas, hard to boil down to a short sentence, so I'm requesting that if you support the spirit of a particular idea, but don't like the phrasing of the question, answer yes anyway.
Thanks.
- Intersectionality theory is a positive tool for change.
- All cultures merit equal respect.
- There is a patriarchy that oppresses women.
- Society should strive to achieve equality of outcome.
- Society should restrict hate speech.
- Speech codes are a positive influence at universities.
- Lived experience deserves as much merit as expertise.
- Universities are improved when trigger warnings and safe spaces are provided.
- The West's history negates its claims to be a superior culture.
- Society should strive to reduce micro-aggressions.
No, X 10.
1. Intersectionality is based on highly subjective criteria, which leaves one to question the legitimacy of the criteria in the first place.
2. Some cultures are absolutely violent and terrible, they do not deserve respect. Respect cannot be demanded it has to be earned through merit or other legitimate appreciation.
3. No, there are predisposed inclinations between men and women. Women focus on people naturally, men focus on solutions/things. This addresses most of the perceived imbalance. It explains why there is 20 to 1 women nurses to men, and 20 to 1 men as engineers to women. And, there is nothing wrong with this - as long as no artificial bars to either path have been erected.
4. Equality of outcome is also equality of failure. It's less like a staircase, and more like an economic prison which no one can escape.
5. It's impossible to quantify what is hate speech other than what specifically applies to race or genetics. The loony left has taken this to mean anything they don't like, and banning that makes freedom of speech and discourse impossible.
6. Speech codes limit the territory of free expression to merely the subjects which are common sense/already accepted. However, evolution doesn't favor this methodology - often what pisses us off or hurts us in the short term is a long term win. Without having these discourses we'd never have the freedom to dare... and the profits as results
7. Lived experience is irrelevant, you can pick up new skills tomorrow and be better at it than someone else. Though, I would say in particular there is a gradual development of the socialization process that is, to some extent, more valuable as we age. This is a soft skill, and much harder to quantify, obviously...
8. Safe spaces only exist to give intellectually and emotionally inferior people a veto power to someone their superior in every way. It's just thought censorship, and completely detrimental.
9.. The West is the only culture that has steered clear of massive human injustice, and done it not because it had to, but because it was what was right. Slavery still happens all over the middle east and Africa, for example... Women are garbage in those countries as well, so I just don't think the "west" is that bad. Yeah, the west has problems, but it's not _those_ problems.
10. Micro-aggressions are aggressions that you didn't know you did. I can't conceive of a better way to waste your life away. Also, since you do not know that you do them how could you address them even if you wanted to? I'm not losing any sleep over these things... I'll tell you that.
