Michael Bloomberg gave a not so popular commencement address at the University of Michigan over the weekend. The former champion of banning large sugary drinks was surprisingly critical of college "safe spaces", the new trend that's sweeping the nation.
When the topic of critical lessons learned throughout college came up, the former mayor didn't hold back on his feelings about the subject. As he spoke, he was originally met with a mixed reaction from the students, with some clapping and some booing.
"The most important knowledge that you will leave here today with, like the importance of team work, has nothing to do with your major. It is about how to study, how to cooperate, how to listen carefully, how to think critically, and how to resolve conflicts through reason. In other words, it is working with others. Those are the most important skills in the working world, and it's why colleges have always exposed students to challenging and uncomfortable ideas. The fact that some university boards and administrations now bow to pressure groups, and shield students from these ideas through safe spaces, code words, and trigger warnings, is in my view a terrible mistake."
He didn't let up there, and as he went on the crowd grew seemingly more irritated with the lecture and the booing took over.
"The whole purpose of college is to learn how to deal with difficult situations, not to run away from them. A micro aggression is exactly that, micro. But in a macro sense, one of the most dangerous places on a college campus is the so-called safe space because it creates a false impression that we can isolate ourselves from those who hold different views. We can't, and we shouldn't try. Not in politics, or in the workplace."
In the new era of super political correctness, we're actually quite surprised that Mr. Bloomberg was critical of safe spaces and their usage, and it wouldn't hurt to have a bit more truthiness from those within the political arena.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i23pD38lpE
Perhaps, Mr. Bloomberg will allow people to make their own decisions about the food they eat and liquids they drink as he exposes the harsh realities of the real world to the must-be-cared-for Millenials...
The Only Safe Space Is Your Home
No matter where you go in life, someone will be there to offend you. Maybe it’s a joke you overheard on vacation, a spat at the office, or a difference of opinion with someone in line at the grocery store. Inevitably, someone will offend you and your values. If you cannot handle that without losing control of your emotions and reverting back to your “safe space” away from the harmful words of others, then you’re best to just stay put at home. Remember, though: if people in the outside world scare you, people on the internet will downright terrify you. It’s probably best to just accept these harsh realities of life and go out into the world prepared to confront them wherever they may be waiting.