Big Brother and the Nanny State versus enterprising pleasure seeking…
Right-Minded Fellow generally prefers to discuss substantive issues on higher education, but some are a rather interesting reflection on the state of western culture as this posting will be. A British student has been fined by his university for creating a match-making website for love connections between library patrons. There’s nothing particularly novel about his creation given the rise of the on-line social networking phenomenon. How many people don’t subscribe to Facebook as one example?
The site, FitFinder, became an instant sensation spreading from university to university during study time for final exams. Gee, wouldn’t students love the chance to blow off a little steam with a token mindless distraction during that stressful period?
In its first month, 30 universities were involved, but quickly some irate disenchants became quite vocal as some participants posted rather vulgar entries and taunts. University College London, through its office for the dean of pastoral care, a quaint British term for dean of students, fined the site’s founder, Richard Martell a student at the school for “bringing the college into disrepute."
Fearing reprisals that could interfere with his graduation, Martell suspended his site. He paid the 300 pound ($435) fine, the maximum penalty the university could assess. Almost immediately, more than 6,000 individuals signed a petition in support of Mr. Martell.
In addressing his situation, Martell noted, "I pulled it down on my own accord because I wanted to comply with them, but now it has worked against them and has angered people. This has almost brought them more into disrepute than I did in the first place."
While the United Kingdom does not have the guarantees of the First Amendment on freedom of speech and press, some aspects of British culture is every bit as permissive as what can be found in the United States. However, when it comes to a domineering nanny state and insane application of various principles of political correctness, perhaps the Brits are more sickly than the States.
Regardless, the onset of the 21st century finds western culture permeated with narcissism, hedonism, and slick mass media manipulation. A match-making service that gets a little bit tawdry is hardly alarming. Call it distasteful, call it naughty, call it obscene, the actions of the London University seem petty and stoically reactionary. Such moralistic knee-jerk behavior does not serve to hold up the mirror to a decadent society where it seems that instant gratification is the ultimate goal.
This episode so clearly illustrates both polarities of the kind of values and culture that illustrates the deterioration of constructive values. On one level, political correctness, the true realization of what George Orwell described as “newspeak” in his ominous novel, 1984, attempts to destroy the free expression of language limiting all dialogue into narrowly defined boundaries which must conform to the progressive elitists’ standards or be guilty of hate speech, sexism, racism, or some kind of exploitation aimed against their sacred victim groups and ideals. The other polarity is pure unrestrained vulgarity and self-glorification of the “me” generation oriented pop culture.
The fate of FitFinder is but one illustration where two ugly trends in modern culture come into conflict revealing what a completely morally bankrupt and intellectually shallow culture we live in. In terms of the crass opportunism that runs unchecked in the cesspool of a thoroughly decadent culture, Richard Martell’s little creation is but a mild example of other enterprises that push the boundaries of sensibility further and further out of shape.
Right-Minded Fellow generally prefers to discuss substantive issues on higher education, but some are a rather interesting reflection on the state of western culture as this posting will be. A British student has been fined by his university for creating a match-making website for love connections between library patrons. There’s nothing particularly novel about his creation given the rise of the on-line social networking phenomenon. How many people don’t subscribe to Facebook as one example?
The site, FitFinder, became an instant sensation spreading from university to university during study time for final exams. Gee, wouldn’t students love the chance to blow off a little steam with a token mindless distraction during that stressful period?
In its first month, 30 universities were involved, but quickly some irate disenchants became quite vocal as some participants posted rather vulgar entries and taunts. University College London, through its office for the dean of pastoral care, a quaint British term for dean of students, fined the site’s founder, Richard Martell a student at the school for “bringing the college into disrepute."
Fearing reprisals that could interfere with his graduation, Martell suspended his site. He paid the 300 pound ($435) fine, the maximum penalty the university could assess. Almost immediately, more than 6,000 individuals signed a petition in support of Mr. Martell.
In addressing his situation, Martell noted, "I pulled it down on my own accord because I wanted to comply with them, but now it has worked against them and has angered people. This has almost brought them more into disrepute than I did in the first place."
While the United Kingdom does not have the guarantees of the First Amendment on freedom of speech and press, some aspects of British culture is every bit as permissive as what can be found in the United States. However, when it comes to a domineering nanny state and insane application of various principles of political correctness, perhaps the Brits are more sickly than the States.
Regardless, the onset of the 21st century finds western culture permeated with narcissism, hedonism, and slick mass media manipulation. A match-making service that gets a little bit tawdry is hardly alarming. Call it distasteful, call it naughty, call it obscene, the actions of the London University seem petty and stoically reactionary. Such moralistic knee-jerk behavior does not serve to hold up the mirror to a decadent society where it seems that instant gratification is the ultimate goal.
This episode so clearly illustrates both polarities of the kind of values and culture that illustrates the deterioration of constructive values. On one level, political correctness, the true realization of what George Orwell described as “newspeak” in his ominous novel, 1984, attempts to destroy the free expression of language limiting all dialogue into narrowly defined boundaries which must conform to the progressive elitists’ standards or be guilty of hate speech, sexism, racism, or some kind of exploitation aimed against their sacred victim groups and ideals. The other polarity is pure unrestrained vulgarity and self-glorification of the “me” generation oriented pop culture.
The fate of FitFinder is but one illustration where two ugly trends in modern culture come into conflict revealing what a completely morally bankrupt and intellectually shallow culture we live in. In terms of the crass opportunism that runs unchecked in the cesspool of a thoroughly decadent culture, Richard Martell’s little creation is but a mild example of other enterprises that push the boundaries of sensibility further and further out of shape.
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