“Ouch” I ranted! “OOPS” not sorry!

I am on a RANT! For a long time, I have felt that we are doing a questionable job raising our kids to face the rigors of adulthood. I have seen how a parents being overprotective can cause a child to lack self-confidence, develop anxiety and be unable to handle any type of conflict.

Then I saw this……………

Diversity and Inclusiveness in the Classroom

 “Oops/ouch: If a student feels hurt or offended by another student’s comment, the hurt student can say “ouch.” In acknowledgement, the student who made the hurtful comment says “oops.” If necessary, there can be further dialogue about this exchange. For more ground rules for classroom discussions, see page 7.”

STUPID ME! I originally assumed that this was meant for kindergarten or 1^st grade when children are learning how to express emotions and respect each other. WRONG! It was in a handbook by a major college in an effort to make students feel “safe”. It also encouraged professors to employ that technique in their dealings with students. I cannot believe that this nonsense exists on a college campus, it is political correctness taken to an absurd level.

Two reasons to get upset.

First, our children are evidently not being taught how to play nice in the sandbox. Before they get into middle school they should have the ability to express their emotions and be working on how to “settle” their differences. “Ouch” and “Oops” are tools that can be used with a young child, not with a 10 year old. I remember growing up in New York City. If a neighborhood kid would have said something I didn’t like or we had a hard time picking teams, we figured out ways to settle it and, believe it or not, they did not include violence. If I would have looked at a person who didn’t pick me for a team because I was the chubby kid who couldn’t run fast and said “Ouch” the other team would have first collapsed in laughter and I would have had to haul my “Oops” out of there!

Secondly, I thought that colleges were an institution of higher learning with the ultimate objective of providing a skill that would be valuable to an employer. It should not be in the business of teaching social skills that the student should have learned at 8, not 18! Quite frankly, if I had a child who came home from an exorbitantly expensive college and told me about learning the “ouch” and “oops” method, I would be furious! What great training for a job. Imagine your boss criticizing you and your response was “ouch”. Would they say “oops, lets discuss your feelings?” I think not! I somehow don’t think that skill would come in handy in the armed forces or the majority of our work force.

Do I agree that individuals need to respect a person’s right to express their ideas? ABSOLUTELY! It is also the right of an individual to disagree with ideas that they don’t believe in. The idea of being politically correct and not wanting to criticize or offend someone has led to nothing but silence. We have stopped discussing real problems and accepted an ideology of non-commitment. We put a smile on our face, nod our heads and learn resentment rather than understanding. Our schools ban books despite their historical significance. Our colleges deny speakers that might upset a certain body of students. Political correctness destroys true and valid discourse. It doesn’t make everyone a big happy family. It sanitizes our interactions and our cultural expressions.

So, Mr. Ms. and Mrs. University, if you want to really educate, stop worrying so much about “ouch and oops.” Demand respectful discourse, encourage debate, and teach compromise. Maybe you can pass those skills on to a future politician. How refreshing that would be!