Telegraph article on Speechless documentary about universities and ideological capture on BBC

[Veilsofmorning]

First time starting a thread, so hope OK.
Article today in the Telegraph about the BBC documentary series Speechless. The tide must have turned and come well in for this to be on BBC?

“Ric Bienstock is a Canadian documentary filmmaker whose two-part documentary series Speechless is now streaming on BBC iPlayer.”
From the article:

“What followed was a near 10-year journey across campuses in North America and the United Kingdom. Again and again, I saw complex issues giving way to ideological certainty. A generation was being taught that disagreement was harmful.”
and
“Universities should be the one place where difficult ideas can be examined without people worrying about damaging their careers. When we teach students that disagreement is violence, that discomfort is harm, that the proper response to an idea you find threatening is to make sure nobody else hears it, we weaken them.”
Gift link below, hopefully.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/23896ce75f82762f

Thank you, I had no idea for example that the idea of white supremacy was considered to characterise the correct use of language or being on-time. How grim.

I watched it and it was good - and frightening. A reminder of how quickly an idea that includes hating someone can spread. I was reminded of the emergence of the National Socialists in Germany (Nazis - a name they hated, since it was what Bavarians called them as an insult).

I have seen this before. The Smithsonian published a leaflet or poster explaining how being on time was 'white' as were the experimental method etc. About a decade ago, I think. I am not in the US and now can't remember where I found it - but it was depressing.

I also watched most of the first episode yesterday and must admit to being put off at first by the documentary maker’s introduction where she describes herself as “cisgender” and “Chelsea boot lefty not a Birkenstock lefty”. I’m still waiting to to see if she was being ironic at this point.

But the extended clips showing spoiled brat students protesting at American universities as well as several interviews with cancelled US academics have been fascinating as well as soul destroying.

She was absolutely being ironic. No doubt about it. Keep watching.

These programmes were broadcast on the BBC earlier this year. I wondered why The Telegraph had published an article as if this was new news but judging by the number of posters on this thread who have watched the programmes as a result of the article, I guess it's not a bad thing.

It was broadcast in April.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5518036-anyone-watched-speechless-on-iplayer-and-what-did-you-think?page=1

I’m relieved to hear that!

I remember being very surprised by the early Peter Boghossian videos which he did at uni campuses.

https://m.youtube.com/@drpeterboghossian?ra=m

There were some universities that contacted security or senior academics to get him off the campus because some people claimed he was causing them harm.

The number of threads there are on Mumsnet about people and their annoying, perpetually late friends… This would be a great addition to those threads. It would be a lovely counterpoint to throw in when the “it’s just rude and I wouldn’t stand for it anymore” comments get a bit repetitive.

It is just rude, though.