No, We Won’t Calm Down – Tone Policing Is Just Another Way to Protect Privilege

[MadDAsHell]

130. It depends.

If I'm the Yale professor with a student 12 inches away from my face screeching at me at the top of her lungs, calling me names, etc., no I'm not going to listen to that message.

It is not "tone policing" to say "you are out of control right now, and for the sake of my safety as well as those around us, I'm not listening to this right now."

While I generally agree with the OP, people don't have to/and shouldn't stand there and absorb hate, inflammatory accusations, etc. just to avoid accusations of "tone policing."

I've had TERRIBLE things happen to me, and do I want to get in the face of those I find responsible and give them what for? Absolutely.

Do I expect for a second that they'd just stand there and take it? Of course not, and neither would I if I was in their shoes.

To sum: You either want to be effective with your message or you don't. Free speech gives you near complete control of the content and delivery.

But you do not AND SHOULD NOT have control over how it's received and interpreted. That part is controlled by free thinking, something which we all have a right to.

If you have something to say, it is YOUR JOB to frame the message so it's received and interpreted how you want it to be; it IS NOT the listener's duty or job to change their worldview/thinking to accommodate your message.