University of Chicago Tells Incoming Students: Don't Expect Safe Spaces or Trigger Warnings

[hunter]

190. I'll bet I could find a few that rubbed me the wrong way.

... probably not to level of rolling their limousines with them inside.

I'll confess, I've personally used physical intimidation on a couple of occasions.

There was this "geologist" in our town who was the darling of the fundamentalist churches. He was constantly weaseling his way into our public schools as a guest lecturer. He had all sorts of pretty rocks and fossils, he was charming and entertaining, teachers and school administrators loved him. Sadly, he's a creationist, and unfortunately for him he showed up on the roster of my kid's outdoor school program.

I had a bit of internet chat with him, and he agreed to meet me the week before outdoor school started. He was happy to talk to an interested parent, maybe I could even help with his presentation since I was going to be at camp and had a few interesting fossils in my own collection.

He didn't know my wife and I met as science teachers in Los Angeles. I'm an amateur evolutionary biologist with some formal training. Evolutionary biology was the concentration for my biology major. I love evolutionary biology. I'll happily agree to menial work removing tar and crud from bones with powerful solvents, or crapping in a bucket and weeks without properly bathing.

I was a bad biology major, but even worse in general ed classes where I could be disruptive. A somewhat prominent paleontologist had got me back into school after I'd been kicked out twice, probably because I amused him enough that he'd invite me along on field work even when I was taking mandatory "time outs" from school. He's the only reason I graduated. Everyone else was done with me. I burned through multiple thesis advisers.

But I know a bit of science...

For some reason, probably based on the strange autistic spectrum quality of my writing, people don't imagine there's been times I've enjoyed the same physique as Michael Phelps, except that my own swimming is very clumsy and ugly. But I can swim all day. I like hoodies too. I also share Phelp's basic physical measurements. I can loom over most people which is still really surprising to me because when I quit high school I was still a squeaky little chew toy for the bullies, and I had no hair on my face or anywhere else but the mop on my head.

For the meeting with Mr. Creationist Geologist I borrowed my brother-in-law's big old GMC truck, painted Border Patrol green. I wore a flannel shirt and jeans and boots, lumberjack style, and a bit queer. I had a ponytail. I liked to use numbers, millions and billions of numbers, and complex math too. The poor fellow, he called in sick for the entire week of outdoor school. I felt a little bad that I'd overplayed it.

I'm the mild kid in my family. As a kid I witnessed my mom taking loaded guns away from fools or getting into bitch-slapping altercations with Catholic bishops who deserved it.

The "delicate flowers" have exposed themselves in this thread. If you can't take a hit in the face from a big silicone dildo swung in anger, then you are the loser.