“The world doesn’t revolve around you.” Odds are, at some point in your life, some authority figure has told you this phrase and through it you’ve learned to recognize when your actions or opinions seem to reflect just your benefit. Simply, this phrase boils down to the lesson that not everything is for you. Not everything is for your benefit. So, if when you’re reading or hearing about something and it doesn’t align with what you think, or maybe it doesn’t benefit you, then it’s probably not for you. If you think “Safe Spaces” are for “babied millennials” who can’t handle the harshness of reality, then here are some things you need to recognize. But first, a little background.
A “Safe Space” as defined by the Safe Space Network, is “a place where anyone can relax and be able to fully express, without fear of being made to feel uncomfortable, unwelcome or unsafe on account of biological sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, cultural background, religious affiliation, age, or physical or mental ability.” This means a space free from judgement where people can talk openly and freely knowing that the rules are set in place so that no one can judge them for what they say. Unfortunately, some people seem to think that Safe Spaces are a waste of resources and are toxic to our youth.
As writer Tyler Durden wrote in an opinion piece titled “Generation Snowflake: Safe Spaces, Trigger Warnings And The Wussification Of Our Young People” published on Zero Hedge:
“In this day and age, our overly coddled young people have come to expect that they should be automatically shielded from anything that could remotely be considered harmful or offensive, and as a result we now have an entire generation that is completely lacking in toughness. That may be fine as long as you can depend on Mom and Dad, but how in the world are these young men and women going to handle the difficult challenges that come with living in the real world?”
First of all, Tyler Durden was it? Cool "Fight Club" reference. I find it ironic that you feel so strongly about this, but you feel the need to hide behind a fictional character that symbolizes destructive masculinity when it comes time to actually express and defend your opinions. Tyler, I understand that you feel Safe Spaces shield us from the “real world,” but even if that were true and these places were escapes from reality, then why is it your responsibility to teach us how to handle the “real world?” Why do you feel you must single-handedly bring us into the “real world” and teach us toughness?
Additionally, why do you need to teach people to be able to be offended? This is so completely ignorant of the root of the problem. A Safe Space isn’t an escape from reality, it’s an attempt to change what the norm is in our society. By teaching our kids to “toughen up,” that assumes that the person opposing them is delivering their opinions in a way that is not productive or is even hurtful. Rather than teaching our kids to “fight for what they believe in,” we should be teaching listening and productive discussion skills. Safe Spaces are not for people who can’t handle an argument. Safe Spaces are for people who need a place where they can have diplomatic discussions without dealing with people who are so unable to express themselves without any shred of inter-personal intelligence that they feel the need to batter and demean anyone with an opposing opinion. Additionally, as much as this assumes that one party is “offended,” it also assumes that the other party is being “offensive!” Rather than assuming this as the “real world,” Safe Spaces create places where people who can imagine a world free from offensive and targeted behavior can exist.
This leads me to my final point which is that there is a difference between not for you, and not for you. If you think Safe Spaces are stupid because they provide areas for people where they can be free from offensive people and things, then that’s probably because Safe Spaces aren’t for you. No one is forcing you to go to them so why are you so intent on taking them away? With that being said, Safe Spaces can be for you. Safe Spaces are just for liberal millennials, so they can be for you.
Rather than spend all of your time and energy trying to take them away, maybe direct that time and energy towards being more accepting of what others might want or need because after all, the world doesn’t revolve around you.
