If you thought the students at universities in the developed world were sensitive, wait until you get a load of the administrators. After all, who do you think taught them to be that way?
Apparently, at Leeds Trinity University in the U.K., journalism professors have been instructed to “avoid” using “capital letters for emphasis” and not to “overuse” the words “do” and “don’t” when instructing students.
I wish I had made that up, but it’s true.
According to U.K. news organization Express:
Staff at Leeds Trinity's school of journalism have also been told to "write in a helpful, warm tone, avoiding officious language and negative instructions". Some blasted the move as "more academic mollycoddling" of the snowflake generation. An "enhancing student understanding, engagement and achievement" memo lists dos and don'ts - with "do" and "don't" among words frowned upon.
Course leaders say capitalising a word could emphasise "the difficulty or high-stakes nature of the task”.
For people in charge of a university, they’re pretty dumb.
Let me get this straight. Capital letters could discourage students from doing their work because they might get triggered at the sight of a bigger letter? And using the words “do” and “don’t” are somehow triggering? Okay. Got it.
This is where we are in 2018. We’ve got spacecraft that can visit Mars, but we can’t use the words “do” and “don’t” because it might somehow confuse and/or offend someone that clearly isn’t ready for adult life.
Sad. The U.K. has become less of a nation and more of a punchline. You have to feel bad for those in the U.K. who had no problem growing up without the “guidance” of intellectually regressive college administrators.
DO. DON'T. DO. DON'T. Did that offend any of you or discourage you from doing anything? If so, just know that I'm laughing at you right now.