Putting A Trigger Warning On Truth
In a flagrantly glaring display of irony, the UK’s University of Northampton is taking censorship and wokeness to caricaturish new levels by slapping a trigger warning on none other than George Orwell’s classic, dystopian novel, 1984, seeking to spare sensitive students from unwitting exposure to “explicit material.”
Said “explicit material” is the story of a dystopian future world controlled by thought police, where language is redefined, former events and people are “memory holed,” and history is rewritten to suit the narrative of the ever watchful Big Brother. Truth is no longer objective. In fact, truth (or what used to be recognized as truth) is Public Enemy Number One, and must be hidden from the masses at all costs.
It is to this novel that this bastion of re-education education has slapped its stamp of censorship -- woke culture’s most prolifically used mark of impending danger – the trigger warning.
This is nothing short of dystopian life, imitating dystopian art, imitating dystopian life. So close to current events have the themes of this sci-fi classic come, that putting a trigger warning on it is like putting a trigger warning on a mirror. Don’t look! You might see reality!
In response to criticism, a spokesman for the university said:
“While it is not university policy, we may warn students of content in relation to violence, sexual violence, domestic abuse and suicide. In these circumstances, we explain to applicants as part of the recruitment process that their course will include some challenging texts. This is reinforced by tutors as they progress through their programme of studies. We are aware some texts might be challenging for some students and have accounted for this when developing our courses.”
Oh, so it’s the violence and sexuality inherent in the story line from which they want to protect these young adults. Really? Even as institutions of education here in the US and around the world want to teach Kindergarteners about gender preferences, while promoting pornography to middle and high schoolers through libraries and reading lists?
What are they really trying to shield these young people from? Is the trigger warning actually for the protection of the delicate, fragile sensibilities of the students? Or is it for the protection of the elites and mavens of indoctrination who fear their subjects students might actually be confronted with reality, and rather than cower under the weight of it, embrace it?
How To Get Things Done In Russia
The BBC reports,
Moscow residents say they have found that the only way to get the council to clear snow is to write the name of opposition leader Alexei Navalny on it. Mr Navalny is Russia's best-known critic of President Vladimir Putin.
Posts on Facebook and Twitter have received thousands of likes, after disgruntled residents took to social media, saying that they tried spray-painting "Navalny" on the city's deep snow out of frustration at the authorities' slowness in removing them.
One user said the move prompted immediate reaction and that council workers removed the graffiti "within hours".
If you want to get a problem taken care of in Russia, spray paint the name of an opposition leader on it and it will disappear. Apparently, the Russian government is more motivated by the fear of opposition than it is by the idea of serving its communities.
How about you? What motivates you, self-preservation or service?
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another" (John 13:34).
Meek Is Not Weak
I remember hearing about a well-known preacher that was walking with his son. A man approached them and started talking to the preacher. At one point the man asked the preacher his opinion of another man that had been at great odds with him. The preacher said something along the lines of “I think that he is a good man.” Not long after that the man went on his way. Once the father and son were alone again, the son looked up at his dad and said “I thought that man hated you and couldn’t stand you. Why were you so complimentary toward him when you were asked what you thought of him?” To which the preacher said, “Because son, I wasn’t asked what his opinion was of me, but what my opinion was of him.”
What a great example of meekness! Many people think that meekness is weakness, but it couldn’t be further from what the word means. Meekness is controlled strength. A horse hasn’t lost its strength when it gets harnessed, it has gained usefulness, and not lost one ounce of strength. When we choose to direct our power to be constructive rather than destructive, that does not display weakness but meekness – controlled strength. Did not Solomon say in Proverbs 16:32 “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.”?