Harvard University, the most recognizable institute of higher learning in America and quite possibly the world, announced today that there would be a new program of women-only hours at one of its gymnasiums. This new policy is the result of the complaints of a Muslim student who said she was uncomfortable exercising in front of men for religious purposes. I personally am absolutely disgusted by the conduct of the Harvard administration. For a university such as Harvard to cater to the demands of a religion that oppresses more women than any other worldwide in order to satisfy the complaints of one student is a textbook example of political correctness run amok.
Would Harvard grant a similar request for other students? Would they ban the serving of pork products for Jews? Would they not serve meat on Good Friday? No, of course not. This is an ever increasing trend in American colleges of bending to any and all demands made by the single most violent, intolerant, and of course the single most chauvinistic religion in the world. Now the men of Harvard are forced to pay the price as they are discriminated against based on the gender bias of another’s religion.
I would expect such behavior from Columbia University or the city government of San Francisco, but not Harvard.
To all those who still lend an ear to the voice of reason I would ask that you let the Harvard administration know you are sick and tired of having the religious beliefs of the violent and oppressive minority interfere with your daily lives.
~Man Overboard
16 Comments
What concerns me is the great lengths organizations will go these days to make everyone who may be different feel special. We need to remember that is impossible to make everyone happy. Whatever happened to shut up and deal with it? That is what my parents always told me.
This just in: private organization does whatever the hell it wants to.
This is disgusting! We should make it so that private organizations are hog-tied as to what decisions they should make for the well being of their members.
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This is one of my favorite Republican illogicism: asking for lesser regulation so that private enterprise can do what it wants, and then becoming infuriated when they do. This has no bearing on your life. Chill.
Also, it’s worth entertaining the idea that the administration at Harvard are on a higher plane of intelligence (having attended Harvard), leading to a better ability to reason through the consequences and make choices than the rest of us.
This is an outrage! After so many centuries of oppression, Christians and men (some of them white men, the most downtrodden of all men) are having to put up with the indignity of dealing with people who have different values from themselves? Will the oppression never end? next thing you know, they will be allowing all black fraternities and all WOMEN fraternities (though i guess they will have to call them something different, like maybe… Hell, i don’t know). Why is it that women can have a so called “women’s center” on campus, but they won’t even let my Klan group come and SPEAK????!!!
It’s time for men to stand up for their rights and nip this whole respect for others crap in the bud. next thing you know, the women and minorities will be wanting to run someone for president of the whole daggone country.
Righto, however when does political correctness go too far? Not everyone can be made happy and the more EVERYONE tries to cater to one side, the other side will always be unhappy. We are a nation of spoiled people that get what they want and if we don’t then there are people that would pay a lot of money to make sure that they get what they want.
Needless to say, I am sure that there had to be an overriding decision to make this rule considering the amount of media/national criticism that Harvard is receiving.
Let me say this. Sweetheart the world is not going to hold your hand and while the USA provides the freedom to choose any religion it does not obligate anyone else to observe your religious beliefs. If you are uncomfortable my precious desert flower than go in there at hours that no one is in there. Don’t ask the entire school to bend to your religion and Harvard you F***ING P***IES you are seriously backing down and bending over for one person. Seriously is it that kind of party. This kind of stuff just hits a nerve.
I think we would all benefit from a trip to the Museum of Intolerance, where we must all remember that intolerance will not be tolerated!
Jim, the problem isn’t that she asked the entire school to bend to her religion, its that the entire school bended to her request.
Anyone can ask anything they want of anybody, but that doesn’t mean we have to listen or comply. The problem is the political correctness and the fact that Harvard will do anything to save face.
No one needs special treatment. Instead of of changing their gym hours and adding female only hours they should have just said no. This is but one example of people who ask for special considerations because they are uncomfortable, when they really just need to grow up and learn to live in the world. If they can’t take it they need to just go some where else. Political correctness is censorship. Pure and simple. As long as you are not bringing physical harm to any one anything is open. Before you start I realize that is a general broad statement and it was intended to be so. It is the worrying over every little thing that is as extreme as the statement I made. The problem is once you start to make exceptions or change the rules based on whether or not some one is offended by something that you create the problem of not knowing when to stop and tell people to grow up and accept the world is full of things that will offend them.
For this particular story it is not the idiocy of Harvard but the presumption of this woman to even make the request. Now women everywhere will use this as precedent to make similar requests on campuses across the nation. Because Harvard set this precedent it will more difficult for any private institution to simply say no. they have dropped the pebble into the pond and we sit and wait to see how the ripples effect the pond.
So yes the blame rests on both.
You are right about Harvard setting an unrealistic precedent, but sorry man, you are dead wrong about the woman having any blame in this. Basically you are saying that censorship in the form of political correctness is BAD and that censorship in the form of restricting people from making selfish requests of organizations or individuals is GOOD.
I mean, maybe I just misinterpreted your comment, but it seems that you want this woman and all future women in the same circumstance to keep their selfish mouths shut:
Who the hell cares what they say or what they ask for! I, you, and whatever organization is receiving the request have just as much freedom to deny as to accept.
Dave,
I never lynched a black man, or beat a woman, or owned a slave, or sacked a village. For you to imply that me or someone like me should tolerate discrimination simply because I am a white male born in America is just flat out wrong.
If you chose to hate yourself because of what you are due to the fact that your ancestors were the victors in a clash of civilizations of a barbaric age centuries before you were born then be my guest.
If you are a Muslim woman and you want your gym to be governed by Sharia then by all means move to Iran and you can do Pilates in a Burqa until the Mahdis come home.
But when in Rome, exercise in plain view of the oposite sex as the Romans do.
Jack, I love it.
Dave, these women are the same ones that cry out for equality. But they want special treatment and exceptions made for them. You can not have your cake and eat it to. I treat women as my equal in every way. Seriously I am a house bitch. My woman makes all the money and I clean the house. No one deserves to be treated any differently than any one else. So yes any request for any special consideration is a selfish request that should be met with a flat no. My statement in fact was an nondiscriminatory statement. It was statement demanding equality and an end to discrimination. Asking for special treatment because of your sex, your age, your sexual preference, your race or any other reason is in fact what keeps discrimination alive. As long as concessions are made and others receive special treatment for any of the above mentioned reasons discrimination is going to be alive and well in our society. You my dear sir are merely propagating that discrimination with you “let’s make an exception” attitude. Equality rights means that everyone has the right to treated as an equal and no one has the right to be treated any different than anyone else. Then you have the presumption to question whether or not I am being discriminatory or trying to advocate censorship, wrong choice of words sir.
It will probably be nice for all girls and not just for the Muslim ones. What girl wouldn’t want to have a time where they can work out without feeling ogled objectified or intimidated by male patrons of the gym? Make it fair, and have a guys only time at the gym too.
Perhaps then there would be less unnecessary staring at muscles in the mirror, and dudes who put up 265 one time and then walk around for 30 minutes trying to look cool.
I think we should also have obese-only time. So the gravitationaly challenged do not feel marginalized by those in prime physical condition.
Not to be confused with Albino-only tanning salons.
THIS IS PART OF THE PLAN OF THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD TO “REVERT” AMERICA BACK TO ISLAM.
I don’t suppose it would do us any good to explain to them that you cannot “revert” to something that you never “verted” in the first place?
Didn’t think so.