Christina VarvisFor the first time in three years on this campus, I’ve felt the power of a student protest.
University administration made a decision with which many disagree, and rather than keeping it to ourselves, posting our ire on social media and forgetting about it, we responded with strength, passion and civility. Organizers skillfully co-ordinated and mobilized its force, shouts from the megaphone prolonged and spiked the energy when needed, and everyone chanting in the throng voiced an opinion that could be heard across campus, all on one of the coldest days in recent memory.
The power of freedom of expression is impossible to realize if we keep our voices to ourselves. This fundamental right is wasted if we keep our voices to ourselves. The eruption of direct action on Tuesday gives hope to cynics doubting the ability of the University of Alberta’s student body to fight for a cause. And it’ll be bigger and it’ll be louder on Wednesday.
But don’t let your boots get cold. Virtually every candidate running in the Students’ Union election has predicted further cuts to post-secondary education, which translates to higher tuition. This is especially concerning given that the tuition cap expires this year, and tuition is liable to increase substantially. In the coming months, we’ll need to direct this power north toward the Legislature, so the noise won’t resonate off our own walls but through the chambers and up to the office of the Minister of Post-Secondary Education.
An active protest culture with the power to influence public debate has been absent from this campus in the past few years. Finally, we know what we’re capable of.
What if the word “hoe” were to trigger someone who underwent a very bad experience with it?
I understand your discomfort, but please stop shaming those who made all this effort to spare fellow students from seeing this gratuitous display of gore…and thank them for standing up for empathy. I would encourage you to walk or stand in their shoes (and freezing feet) for a moment.
None of us want to shame or trigger victims of sexual assault, and yet we publicize their experiences WITHOUT using demeaning or controversial language. In the same way, we should discuss abortion without shaming people. That said, we’re all adults and I don’t need someone to appropriate offensive language in an attempt to censor what I can and can’t see. Incidentally, Bashir Mohamed raised a similar concern on the safe space protest event page on Facebook, which generated thoughtful, intelligent dialogue, all of which has since been removed. So which is it: do we want to be able to say and do whatever we want or are we going to silence offensive opinions? Neither shaming nor censorship shouldn’t be taken lightly, and striking a balance between them requires intellectual honesty and the humility to accept criticism when its due.
Appropriating the word “hoes” for a pro-choice argument is extremely counter-productive for feminism at large and disrespectful to the the many women who aren’t able to escape a demeaning social reality or the words associated with it. Although those holding the signs may not be offended by the term (a sure “sign” of privilege), doing so is not helpful at all who those that may well take offense (myself included). Shame!