By:  Diane Benjamin

Why is it impossible to talk to each other these days?  Many times it’s because people retreat to their corner and refuse to listen to any points of view that conflict with what they were taught or what they think they believe.  Common sense and rational thoughts must be attacked if doesn’t comply with the box people put themselves in.  I see it frequently on this site.  People who don’t agree don’t use facts to make points, just attacks.

Tribalism is the reason conservative speakers are attacked on College Campuses.  It happened at ISU:  https://blnnews.com/2017/08/25/hate-is-very-alive-in-normal/    Tribalism is also the reason Kanye West was attacked for supporting a president of the wrong party for blacks.  He stepped outside the “tribe” and those wanting the tribe intact had to declare him a heretic.

We need more people willing to step outside their tribe.  When everyone retreats to their corners to only associate with “my people”, diversity turns into divisive.

Graduation from college should be an event everyone can cheer.  It’s a huge accomplishment to survive four years of tortuous courses, some really lame professors (great ones too), and conditions close to poverty just to make the future brighter.

Back in September of 2015 I wrote about ISU’s micro aggression policy:   https://blnnews.com/2015/09/09/isu-training-future-whats/

Instead of teaching kids to overcome obstacles real or imagined,  ISU sent people to their corners so they don’t “offend” anyone, even by accident.  I bet no ISU student has ever heard:  You are offended because you chose to be offended!

Successful adults don’t exist as stereotypes, they chart their own course.  They don’t care about skin color and they sure don’t care what sex anyone sleeps with.  They know entrenched corner sitting means the rest of the room is unavailable for exploration.  Hanging only with “your tribe” means YOU cut yourself out of the rest of society. You put up your own walls.  We can’t have discussions when self-imposed walls are erected.

ISU is holding graduation, see the schedule here:    https://graduationservices.illinoisstate.edu/schedule/

They left a couple of ceremonies off the list however.  This was the 6th Annual Black Celebration:   http://umojaisu.weebly.com/

“We encourage all Black and underrepresented students across the campus to participate in the event.”

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They also had a 2nd annual Lavender graduation: https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2016/04/second-annual-lavender-graduation-april-13/

ISU is practicing division, not Umoja (unity).

Instead of entering the real world as victors, these tribal ceremonies will reinforce the indoctrinated corner ISU put them in.

Keep in mind these two events are recent phenomena.  Is ISU graduating people who will make the world better or ones that will be permanently offended because they are underrepresented?

I see snowflakes that will never take responsibility for themselves.  Society owes them nothing, but that course doesn’t exist at ISU.  The permanently offended are not only bad for society, it’s dangerous because they will always be looking for someone to save them.  They were never taught the future is theirs to create.

Understand why the college vote went largely for Bernie Sanders now?

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