Educational Safe Spaces: College Student Triggered By Harry Potter Mural

by Kody Fairfield

As we cross into October 2016, the nation is facing many pressing issues: a general election to select the next President of the United States; civilian uproar over police actions; and a faltering economy are among the conversations that should be forefront of the mind for any college student of member of society.

Enter the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse and a mural of Neville Longbottom from J. K. Rowling‘s Harry Potter on campus [shown below]. According to Heat Street’s Jillian Melchoir, it appears that a mural of the Harry Potter character, “transforming from a nerdy boy into a good-looking man,” has triggered a student on campus so badly, they felt a need to report the incident to the campus’s “Hate Response Team.”

The student who was redacted from Melchoir’s report apparently filed in their complaint that:

It represents white power. Man power. Cis power. Able power. Class power. ECT [sic] etc. I am angry that I know the people who put this mural up, and I am anger [sic] because I know the people who let this mural be put up. Like I said earlier, maybe I am being a little sensitive, but it is how I feel. This represents, to me, our society, and I do not want it up on this wall. Why do we need a BEFORE and AFTER?

Let’s read this again shall we, “Maybe I am being a little sensitive, but this is how I feel.”

The student is assuming that simply because they feel something, self reflected through this mural, that it should no longer exist. This same student, with this complaint, is also making the statement that their opinion is so valid, it should supersede that of those who support the mural.

Should this not be dealt with a consumer approach? If it bothers you that much… walk away. If you don’t like what someone is selling, form your opinion and move on.

Instead, we see an attempted shutdown of anything remotely seen or felt to be uncomfortable, and unfortunately this is not just a UWL campus issue, it can be seen on nearly every campus nationwide.

Look at University of Missouri and their safe spaces, University of Texas and the backlash against concealed carry on campus, or even the incidents at University of Kansas and a meeting between “Safe Space” group vs. “Free Speech” group.

Is this really where we are as a society? So hurt by pictures and words that people project their own thoughts and opinions on, that if it has the even remote chance of being read the wrong way, we all must conform to the safe zone thought process?

Higher education should be the place where students are challenged to be uncomfortable: pushed to wits-end on their beliefs and understanding of the world. These challenges build character, resourcefulness, and strengthen opinions or beliefs with convictions.

Instead, higher education has turned into “everyone’s emotions must be tailored to.” Every student’s opinion is the most important thought to be had, and must be validated. Students then learn and come to feel like any opinion they hold, no matter the basis of their information or seriousness of their opinion should be adjusted to by everyone, simply because they feel it.

The effect of this on society is when these students enter the real world, education has created emotionally unstable whiners, as opposed to intelligent, creative innovators. We lose the value of intellect for the “feeling” of safety and the protection from being made uncomfortable.

To this student and any others who believe that their opinion is so valid that we should shut down any negative or perceived negativity toward that opinion… grow up! Help open the dialogue, not shut it down, challenge yourself and others, be uncomfortable, and more than anything, stop the complaining and actually do something to bring about change.