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The word “comfortable” is doing a whole lot of work in public debate about schools these days. And it’s true, education is •full• of discomfort:

Students get uncomfortable when learning a an unfamiliar concept.

Students get uncomfortable when they become aware of problems in the world.

Students get uncomfortable when their assumptions are challenged.

Students get uncomfortable when they feel unsafe.

I don’t think the word “uncomfortable” means the same thing in all those sentences.

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As an educator, I’m told — by the same people! — that:

(1) Because of politics, students are “coddled” now and get to speak their opinions in safe spaces without being challenged instead of having to face criticism, and this is a crisis

and

(2) Because of politics, students are uncomfortable to speak their opinions because of fear of being challenged instead of having safe spaces, and this is a crisis

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(The apparent contradiction between those two statements vanishes when you realize that, in the complainer’s mind, one applies to marginalized people and the other doesn’t.)

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@inthehands this contradiction is summed up in the famous Frank Wilhoit quote:

“Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect. There is nothing more or else to it, and there never has been, in any place or time.”

@crumbs It’s a hell of a quote.