Emma Cries for Help

We have yet another college student writing an op-ed in a major newspaper decrying the current cultural climate. This week, it's Emma Camp, a senior at Mr. Jefferson's University, aka the University of Virginia. Much like Julie's writing last week in the WSJ, Emma takes her case to the New York Times Op-Ed Page pages. You can read it here. To be honest, I didn't find anything she wrote to be particularly shocking. Anyone who has been paying attention to the cultural climate would not be surprised that most of the students are afraid to speak their minds. Take a look at these stats: 

According to a 2021 survey administered by College Pulse of over 37,000 students at 159 colleges, 80 percent of students self-censor at least some of the time. Forty-eight percent of undergraduate students described themselves as "somewhat uncomfortable" or "very uncomfortable," expressing their views on a controversial topic during classroom discussions. At U.Va., 57 percent of those surveyed feel that way.

I imagine if a survey was taken at most offices across the US and possibly the world, the results would be pretty similar. Emma, however, is one of the few who doesn't mind sharing her views, and she indeed is showing courage by publishing a piece in a major newspaper. She feels that viewpoint diversity is crucial to learning. However, she feels like she's fighting a solo battle and doesn't blame her fellow students for not speaking up. She writes:

"The solution to self-censorship cannot merely be to encourage students to be more courageous. Is it brave to risk your social standing by saying something unpopular? Yes. Is it reasonable to ask college students — the 48 percent of us who feel uncomfortable sharing our views — to solve this problem independently? No.

And believe me, I've tried."

"I protested a university policy about the size of signs allowed on dorm room doors by mounting a large sign of the First Amendment. It was removed by the university. In response, I worked with administrators to create a less restrictive policy. As a columnist for the university paper, I implored students to embrace free expression. In response, I lost friends and faced a Twitter pile-on. I have been brave. And yet, without support, the activism of a few students like me changes little."

In other words, why am I going to expose myself to a loss of friends, grad school, and career opportunities if I'm the lone warrior standing amidst the deluge? And who can blame her? Survey after survey confirms that what is happening on campus is true off-campus. People are afraid to say what they think out of pure fear of the "mob." Thomas Chatterton Williams summed it up beautifully on Twitter :

"Viral Twitter pile-ons instigated by media industry consensus enforcers absolutely are a form of informal censorship - specifically they produce self-censorship through the onlooker effect. People learn to be be seen committing heresies. The prix-fixe menu of views remains safest."

I realize it is pretty ironic to post a quote from the one social media source that has created so much of the censorious culture we currently live in. Still, it is true that although Twitter doesn't affect everyone, it does account for much of the fear that everyone is feeling these days. So what is to be done? How can we support Emma? Well, I think some of the more prominent names, like Dave Chappelle and JK Rowling, need to continue to stand up and not be intimidated by the mob, but given their influence, they can afford to remain on the field of battle. Emma needs more folks without the prominence or million-dollar bank accounts to stand up and not back down. It doesn't necessarily need to be a grand gesture or a particularly aggressive stance. It can be as simple as including a paragraph in your book discussing our common humanity, as Kevin Goetz did when describing the power of movies or our guest last week, Corey Nathan, advocating not to judge based on immutable characteristics. Small gestures like these will go a long way to support people like Emma. As I've mentioned before, we all recognize this isn't sustainable and is detrimental to the creative process. This is undoubtedly a marathon, not a spirit, but we will need runners like Emma to believe they are not alone. Collaboration and communal experiences are vital to crafting moving stories. We can't do that immediately assuming the worst about someone without recognizing our shared humanity. Emma and Julie have issued the call. It's time we answer. 

The Batman and a Few Dollars More

Full disclosure: I haven't seen The Batman yet. Yes, I know worthy readers, bad form, but alas, it turns out a nearly 3 hour run time makes it quite challenging to squeeze in a viewing. However, a $130 million opening is impressive and good news for the industry. Part of me does wish it wasn't another comic book movie that is raking in the dough, but it is good news for theaters.

Another interesting tidbit from this past week is an announcement by AMC that they would be charging more for The Batman (about a dollar more during the first eight days.) Matthew Belloni of Puck News has a great piece on this very subject. While it will be interesting to see if this becomes a regular thing, I'm enthused that the theaters are finally doing something to adjust to the current reality. I'd much rather they'd try and focus on the overall experience versus charging more for tickets, but at the very least, this will lead to theaters surviving longer as we slowly awake from the post-COVID malaise. Now, let's see someone take advantage of the downfall of the Paramount Decree and buy a theater! Come on, Comcast, you know you want to!  

Pages from the Commonplace Book

We return to the Stoics this week. They're just so damn good. This week, it's Epictetus:

"If a person gave away your body to some passerby, you'd be furious. Yet you hand over your mind to anyone who comes along so they may abuse you, leaving it disturbed and troubled - have you no shame in that?"

Think of how often you've gone along with the groupthink or whatever happens to be the prevailing trend on Twitter. If you agree with them, fine, but don't give over your mind so effortlessly without first thinking it through on your own. Your mind belongs to you. Protect it! 

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