Re: Navy SEAL finds no snowflakes among real undergraduate

Thanks, Dan, for sharing this excellent essay. I posted it a few days ago o=
n our vets' FB page, and the responses have been uniformly and enthusiastic=
ally positive. As for CC, it's worth mentioning that he writes about studyi=
ng and discussing the Iliad and Aristotle.



Andrew Szegedy-Maszak
Professor of Classical Studies
Jane A. Seney Professor of Greek
Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT  06459
ph: 860.685.2065
fax: 860.685.2089
________________________________
From: Classical Greek and Latin Discussion Group <[email protected]> o=
n behalf of DANIEL P. Tompkins <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 27, 2019 12:07 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [CLASSICS-L] Navy SEAL finds no snowflakes among real undergraduat=
e

Today's college students are receiving a heap of obloquy, often based on
isolated and exaggerated accounts of what's really going on in
universities.  I read these accounts, weigh them against what I've observed
since I began teaching 55 years ago, and realize they're mostly vicious and
misguided.  The general technique is to represent a single event as typical
of life in the thousands of four-year institutions in the USA, without any
effort at rigor.

So, it's worthwhile to note this account by a 52 year old Navy SEAL who
chose to attend Yale and was bowled over by what he saw: smart and
industrious undergraduates, thoughtful about today's world.  Worth a look.

My Semester With the Snowflakes
<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fgen.me=
dium.com%2Fmy-semester-with-the-snowflakes-888285f0e662&amp;data=3D02%7C01%=
7CCLASSICS-L%40LSV.UKY.EDU%7Ca178d15798694019d55f08d78aefd954%7C2b30530b69b=
64457b818481cb53d42ae%7C0%7C1%7C637130635062152601&amp;sdata=3DOEYMddhdoftD=
WPnWoYHp36%2Fe4zbg4yd%2B2nopNfxqzOA%3D&amp;reserved=3D0>
At 52, I was accepted to Yale as a freshman. The students I met there
surprised me.
<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fgen.me=
dium.com%2Fmy-semester-with-the-snowflakes-888285f0e662&amp;data=3D02%7C01%=
7CCLASSICS-L%40LSV.UKY.EDU%7Ca178d15798694019d55f08d78aefd954%7C2b30530b69b=
64457b818481cb53d42ae%7C0%7C1%7C637130635062152601&amp;sdata=3DOEYMddhdoftD=
WPnWoYHp36%2Fe4zbg4yd%2B2nopNfxqzOA%3D&amp;reserved=3D0>

I hear the term occasionally from buddies of mine who I love, they say
things like; =93how are things up there with the liberal snowflakes?=94
Let me assure you, I have not met one kid who fits that description. None
of the kids I=92ve met seem to think that they are =93special=94 any more t=
han
any other 18=9622-year-old. These kids work their asses off. I have asked a
couple of them to help me with my writing. One young woman volunteered to
help me by proof-reading my =93prose=94 and, for the record, I believe she =
will
be the President someday.
...
It hit me that what I thought a =93safe space=94 meant, was not accurate. T=
his
young woman, the one who used the phrase, =93Safe Space=94 isn=92t scared o=
f
anything. She is a life-force of goodness and strength. She doesn=92t need
anyone to provide a comfortable environment for her. What she meant by
=93safe space=94 was that she was happy to be in an environment where diffi=
cult
subjects can be discussed openly, without the risk of disrespect or harsh
judgement. This works both ways. What I mean is, this young woman was
comfortable, in this University setting, wrestling with things like the
Aristotelian idea of some humans being born as =93natural slaves.=94 She wa=
s
quite comfortable in that space. The question was, how comfortable was the
52-year-old white guy in that discussion? Did it make me uncomfortable?
Yes. I=92m grateful for the discomfort. Thinking about things I don=92t
understand or have, for most of my life, written off, is a good thing.
Being uncomfortable is KEY in this world of ours...

A very worthwhile contribution.

Dan