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April 19, 2007

No right to self-defense

... at least as far as one particular California college is concerned when it comes to the rules that Resident Advisors are to follow.

Being attacked by a dorm resident? Too bad, touch them at all and you're fired. Another RA under physical attack by a dorm resident? You touch, you fired.

As I said in my previous post, this kind of inculcated behavior to submit or to rely only on "proper authorities" (even as you watch a friend or colleague having the shit beat out of 'em) is doing enormous harm.

Harm both at the immediate individual level and at the societal level.

If we can't teach reasonable reactions to violence directed at them or other innocents, what kind of national policies can we expect them to help shape as adults?

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Posted by Darleen at April 19, 2007 12:34 PM

Comments

Darleen, which California university?

Posted by: qdpsteve at April 20, 2007 08:26 PM

It had the opposite effect on me. After being browbeaten into not fighting back in grade school, I am now four-square against gun control, think that horse-whipping school bullies is probably the right level of severity, and that Bush's first speech after 9-11 should have been "what a predecessor of mine said in jest I say in earnest: The bombing starts in five minutes."

Posted by: John at April 21, 2007 12:56 PM