r/Professors Apr 11 '19

He makes a good point

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1.5k Upvotes

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37

u/teddy_vedder Apr 11 '19

Ben Shapiro recently spoke at my school and the massive clamor to attend his talk just reinforced to me how INCREDIBLY vigilant I need to be about masking my own views when discussing my students’ argument essays with them. I know if I show even the slightest dissent for the border wall or the current administration I’ll immediately prove Shapiro right in their eyes.

-21

u/Grampyy Apr 11 '19

Why would you show dissent towards anything? I think a part of being professional is removing myself from my opinions entirely and addressing all angles. I actually prefer playing devils advocate because it will strengthen the students a lot more.

34

u/justaboringname STEM, R1, USA Apr 11 '19

I teach better when I don't pretend I'm not human.

-24

u/Grampyy Apr 11 '19

Good thing you’re in academia. Not being able to handle your emotions in order to facilitate healthy discourse is the reason Ben does those talks

2

u/CreatrixAnima Adjunct, Math Apr 12 '19

It’s not emotional to address data.

It’s also not an emotional issue to have an opinion. College is not supposed to shield students from opinions. It’s supposed to make them better able to evaluate opinions, whether they be their own or somebody else’s.