Academia, Society

Size-Inclusivity: Mount Holyoke Lists “Fatphobic” Microaggressions

downloadWe have previously discussed the growing list of microaggressive language deemed inappropriate at colleges and universities. From a free speech perspective, the concern is that this category of prescribed language is often ill-defined and subjective, including seating decisions or eye-contact. Mount Holyoke College’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion just added new terms to this list with a guide on social media listing “fatphobic language” that will now be deemed microaggressive. The terms include such phrases as “I’m so bad for eating this” or “you have such a pretty face.”

Saying that “I’m so bad for eating this” is, according to Mount Holyoke, “incredibly triggering, but it also feeds into a harmful narrative created by diet culture that teaches ‘good’ foods versus ‘bad’ foods.”

The office acknowledged that the guide was originally posted on the Instagram account The Power of Plus, which, according to the account’s description, is “a size-inclusive digital community proving that fashion is for every body…”

The diversity office asked students to take “time to reflect on these everyday comments/phrases that are microaggressions.”

I have no objection to the office seeking to share the views of others on how certain phrases are received. I have dropped certain terms or phrases even though I did not see why a term or phrase is insulting. It was enough that others find certain language to be insulting and I do not want to make them feel uncomfortable. For example, I would not use some of the phrases identified because they could be taken the wrong way.

Thus, there is a clearly positive element of a school like Mount Holyoke posting such information to share a perspective that some of us may not have.  The free speech concern is how such microaggressive terms can be used to curtail or punish speech, including supporting complaints for formal investigations.  Many people likely disagree with the position of the office on these terms.  How does the listing then play out when a complaint is filed? Disciplinary actions often seem based on how language is received rather than intended. Schools need to be clear as to whether microaggressive language can be the basis for bias complaints and actions.

The Student Handbook warns‘[h]ostile or hateful speech or other discriminatory behavior may be considered a bias incident, but under certain conditions may also be a hate crime.”

The Handbook warns of possible discipline without clearly defining what speech is hostile or biased:

“A bias incident at Mount Holyoke is an act of bigotry, harassment or intimidation that occurs on the Mount Holyoke College campus that is directed at a member or group of the Mount Holyoke community because of that individual’s or group’s actual or perceived age, color, creed, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity/presentation, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, social class, veteran status, or any combination of these or related factors. In a bias incident the perpetrator may be known or unknown. (adapted from Cornell University)

Note that there are broader categories utilized here than what appears in the College’s Statement of Nondiscrimination. The Statement of Nondiscrimination only focuses on categories that are protected by law, while the College’s bias incident definition covers categories that are not covered by law, but that are covered under College policies.”

Since the school identifies these terms as microaggressions, does that satisfy as terms deemed hostile or hateful” or harassing or intimidating? Free speech requires bright lines to avoid the chilling effect of uncertain standards.  Yet, the Student Handbook seems to studiously avoid clarity on the standard or definition for actionable terms.

81 thoughts on “Size-Inclusivity: Mount Holyoke Lists “Fatphobic” Microaggressions”

  1. Mr. Turley, I think you meant to say, in your first paragraphs about microaggressions, “…things that are” rather than are “not”. (There is a “not” in that sentence which should not be there.)

  2. these speech codes at universities and colleges are despicable. those who push them are uniformly bad people who should be fired, opposed, and attacked

    this will only get worse until we fight back, with vigor

    we should have as little regard for the rules now, when we fight back, as BLM does when they block traffic, which is illegal each and every time they do it

    we need to start flexing muscle. and if it’s not there, grow it fast

    punish the enemies of our people. punish them now, and our power will grow

  4. But this is the soft-headed passive cruelty of the left all over again. They’ll go out of their way to enable a lie and forbid the truth, but they’re nowhere to be seen when the object of their enablement comes down with the consequences – in the case of obesity: rising medical costs, decrease in mobility, organ failure, joint failure, increased morbidity not to mention inconvenience, amputations due to diabetes, and early mortality. Not only are run-amuck-leftists not around when the fat hits the fan, they blame the consequences on the very people they silenced. Children of the Lie, marching on to hell.

    If you have any sense at all, go the other way.

  5. I was looking for a video & ran into this one. One shouldn’t hesitate to vote for DJT because you know these mentally ill American Hating Commie Trash with TDS will have their heads exploding & some of them will make the up coming list of the funniest videos like the one below.

    And you wouldn’t want to deny Americans a good laugh at those idiots, would you. 😉

    https://banned.video/watch?id=5de848e9a99295002bd15b47

      1. The odds tell me there’s over 2/3rds chance you’re likely very very over weight Spandex boy as last I heard 70% of American are.

        1. So are you tossing a mildly homophobic comment toward Olaf?

          That’s kind of childish.

          1. this is a gay free spin zone, and I will not put up with any homophobic shade.
            Hey Jim, how hung are you? Olaf hasn’t given me any love recently and I’m deseperate

            1. REGARDING ABOVE:

              This is ‘not’ the real Seth Warner. This is a creepy troll who thinks he’s hilarious but is really a f_cked up LOSER.

              He’s the same creep who keeps posting under endless puppet names. On any given day at least 20% of the blog’s comments are written by this deviate. Just look for creepy sounding names and you can bet it’s him.

        2. I am Danish by birth. We tend to not be like overweight Americans. I was naturalized in the 80s.

          Are you a Cheeto™️ eating basement dweller? Most angry blog commenters are by statistic.

          1. REGARDING ABOVE:

            This is that same creepy loser using Olaf’s name. The moderator of the blog knows ‘who’ this loser is. But for reasons not the least bit clear, said moderator allows this type of harassment.

              1. Oky1! Great to see you I hope your wife is doing well.

                I’m having trouble getting this video to work….but will keep trying.
                I met Bobby Jr. In 1980 at the Texas State Dem Convention in San Antonio. He was there lobbying for his Uncle Ted.
                He was sbout 16 yrs old and painfully shy.
                Take care up there in okieland!

                1. Cindy Hi!

                  The sunrises, sun sets & the days lately have been being fantastic here, I’m hoping that they been equally great for your family/friends.

                  The reason I send out some of that vaz stuff is because a lot of my friends like you have kids/grandkids, I remember being a dumb as a rock young parent, not knowing now & I think they should know a bit on the topic.

                  Knock on wood & thinks to Jesus & Cancer Treatment Center of American my wife has managed to have skipped & hopped clean of cancer now making it past 3 years. The odds were horrible at the start, but thankfully my daughter & I got pissed right out of the gate, fought insurance Co & moved her to CTCA.

                  We’re all still a bit stunned by it all last week hearing great news. Still a bit of scary lingo… keep an eye on it…etc..

                  It was the worst job I’ve ever taken on, things have changed now as we all seem to have made our peace with this world so we can get on with living the rest of whatever life we’re lucky enough to have.

                  So Cindy don’t forget to tell family/friends to grab for the gusto life everyday.

                    1. I’ve got to check out for now, but I’d just add My family & I didn’t get anywhere without the help & concerns of other people’s help.

                      I pray I’m able to pass along some good will & deeds as others have done for us.

                      It used to be public schools were great, but they’ve messed them up now.

                      I’m thinking back, like my kindergarten teacher, I still remember her name, Ms Nunley, she pulled me aside when they were lining up all the other kids for unauthorized vaccines. She passed away the next year. I know why she did it now, she knew & now I do too with evidence.

                      Anyway, I hope didn’t get to deep. Gnite 🙂

          3. “I am Danish by birth.”

            Olaf, why did you move here if you hate it here in the US & have no respect for the US Constitution that gives us all freedoms but with it we have responsibilities to guard our freedoms, like the 1st/2nd amd from fools that move here & wish to bring all the rotten crap here from which they just fled?

            Or were you just fleeing a criminal warrant there & showed up here?

            Did my family shave your or your mom’s head their just after WW2? Just asking.

              1. Olaf – believe me, as an adult, you are allowed to make choices. If you do not like it here, move.

          4. I live with a 77 yo old who loves her Coca Cola and Cheetos. I told her they were bad for her, she doesn’t care, she says she is done with it all, and is living it up. I said, well, in that case, go for it, and enjoy your Cheetos.

    2. Fox News indoctrination tactics should really be studied, just like there have been studies of how Nazis got ordinary German citizens to stand by and allow the murder of millions of Jews, Catholics, mentally handicapped, Polish, Romani and others who had been their friends, co-workers and neighbors. One tactic was to blame every bad thing on Jews, and also to just flat-out lie about how much better things would be under a Nazi regime. It is a give away when Trump disciples imply that there are “Americans” and then “those idiots”, meaning those who oppose Trump, all of which implies that a majority of “Americans” support Trump, which is a lie. This is the sort of indoctrination you hear on Fox: “we”, meaning Trumpsters, are the smart ones, the majority, and the “Left”, “Dems” and “Libs” are the minority and the bad guys. No, you Trumpsters are the oddballs who are in the minority because you refuse to face the truth. Trump’s appeal is not due to his leadership or business skills: Exhibits: Trump University, Trump Steaks, Trump casinos, multiple business bankruptcies. His only real success that he can claim credit for (because his father built the Trump real estate portfolio, seeded with our tax money to construct housing for veterans after WWII) is “The Apprentice”. That does not qualify him to be POTUS. Trump’s appeal is to mostly non college educated whites who feel threatened by the success of minorities and women. He appeals to racism and misogyny, which is anti-American.

      Fact check: Most “Americans”: 1. did not vote for Trump. He lost the popular vote by 3 million; 2. Have not approved of him since his occupation of the White House, by historic margins and for an historic length of time; no valid poll has ever found even 50% approval and 3. most want him gone. In addition to cheating to get into the White House, he was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives and 48 United States Senators voted to remove him from office. Those facts do not add up to a successful leader who enjoys the support of most of the populace.

      Then, there are the lies about the economy which Trump claims to be a crowning achievement, which he repeats daily. The truth is: job growth was higher under Obama, the economy grew more under JFK, Jimmy Carter and Obama. Real wages, adjusted for inflation, rose more slowly under Trump (0.6% v. 1.1%) than Obama. GDP was the same as under Obama. Even before the pandemic, the 11-year economic recovery started by Obama had started flattening under Trump. Minorities still made less money than whites before the pandemic–the wage gap and real wages, adjusted for inflation, are not substantially different, so Trump is not God’s gift to African Americans, like he tries to claim. American companies are not abandoning their factories in Mexico and other countries and returning to America, either, like he promised. The stock market, which is doing fine, is the not the same thing as the overall economy, but most Trumpsters wouldn’t know that because less than half of Americans regularly invest in stocks. So, when he claims he created the most-successful economy in history, HE IS LYING. He takes whatever positive economic news there is and exaggerates the significance and tries to take credit for it. Right now, we still have an unemployment rate above 10%, primarily due to the pandemic he botched and more than 170,000 Americans have died. Americans are not welcome to visit most countries across the globe. Until the pandemic is brought under control, the economy will continue to suffer. Trump has no clue on what to do because he threw out the pandemic playbook and won’t listen to qualified doctors because he thinks he can bluff and lie his way out of this crisis. Instead of following the advice of qualified epidemiologist, he trots out the “demon sperm” doctor in a pathetic attempt to resurrect hydroxychloroquine, not because it is a safe or effective treatment, but because he cannot stand to be wrong. Plus, he took billions of our tax dollars and stockpiled the drug so he could dole it out and look magnanimous. He hunted until he found Dr. Atlas, someone who would support his irresponsible efforts to try to force open the economy, despite the pandemic clearly not being under control and contrary to the advice of most experts. The result is that most Americans do not trust their government to tell them the truth, and they fear for their childrens’ safety. Anyone who could support such an arrogant narcissist is the one who is deranged.

        1. See, dude, Trump IS fat. He insults women he doesn’t like by calling them “fat”, and he refuses to be photographed with his youngest daughter, Tiffany, because he thinks she looks fat and that detracts from what he believes to be his image of a strong, young macho man. He is a fat, bald old man with a bad comb-over and fake tan skin with deep wrinkles. Tiffany isn’t fat, but she’s not rail-thin, either, and she appears stockier than Ivanka, for example, because she’s not very tall. But, she isn’t fat. She isn’t beautiful, either, but she is attractive and clearly the most-accomplished and most intelligent of his children, being a graduate of Georgetown Law School, which isn’t a charm school. However, he doesn’t trot her out to stump for him because her appearance is off-putting to her father, which is just more proof of his narcissism and misogyny. I am dumbfounded how any woman could vote for a politician who is ashamed to be photographed with his own daughter, even though she is the most ambitious and accomplished of his children. So, pointing out his obesity is fair game. Accusing me of being obese is so Trumpian and pathetic.

          Do you have some counter proof to the facts I cited, or is this just another ad hominem attack when you hear something that is true but makes your hero look bad?

          1. Natacha – still waiting on that BMI score. Why are you holding out on us? Put on too much weight during the CCPVirus pandemic?

      2. You enjoy yourself Natacha but waste your time interacting with the dullard side of the Bell Curve. 40% of Americans don’t know the difference between a shit-sandwich and a steak sandwich. Why bother?

    3. I didn’t laugh. I almost cried. People like these mobsters, anarchists, worthless scum need to be defeated and the only way now: TRUMP 2020. Puppet Biden’s “strings” are pulled by those who support and condone the evil-doers shown in the video.

  6. Yeah, well I consider these stupid lists put out by the thought police, a macroaggression. What are these fat heads going to do about that? They need to put their list on The List.

  7. There are way too many fat, obese and morbidly obese people out there. Many of them are young too. There, I said it.

    1. Eventually, a lot of them turn up with type II diabetes, which can be a horrendous problem. It’s vastly more common than it was 60 years ago.

  8. The unfortunate, probably unintended consequence of lists of actionable microaggressions is a purely defensive social isolation greater than 6 feet as more and more people appreciate the latent power of being able to have the university pick up their cudgels for them and levy penalties which are increasingly disproportionate to the alleged offense.

    It’s a self-correcting problem, however, once word gets around that some people can’t handle their emotional issues in an adult manner.

  9. A “Holyoke” is an oak tree that gets admitted to Heaven by Saint Peter at the Holy Gates.

  10. Some speech can be objected to or even be legally coerced against when it is the method of some basic serious harm against life , liberty, or property. For example some false advertising is bad enough to constitute a type of attempted stealing. The problem with the college cultural revolution is that it includes non serious offenses in the same category as serious harms. A related problem is that a large percentage of college administrators and teachers have assumed that government control of the economy can solve economic problems, and then go further to presume that control of all behavior by government and college officials is warranted because it can have at least micro-offenses. Its like a lighter version of Mao’ s Great Leap Forward to control economy ( an extraordinary disaster), followed by the Cultural Revolution to control all aspects of life (another disaster). Finally, the one of the rules of evidence for punishing disapproved speech is “I feel threatened.” Almost no difference from proof by denunciation which was rampant in all socialist societies.

  11. A “holy yoke” is a device put around an athiests next to shut him up if he talks during church service.

  12. Song sung at that school:

    Fat people got no reason. Fat people got no reason!
    Fat people got no reason to live!
    They got little bitty eyes…
    Little bitty feet.
    Little bitty voices going beep beep beep!

    Don’t want no fat people..
    Don’t want no faaat people!
    Don’t want no fat people round here!

  13. The article is about Bull itShay. What is a “micro aggression”? Something small that can be seen in a microscope? Aggression is odd. Small pod of urdTay thrown at the wall?

    Schools need to quit being so Nazi.
    Is this school run by The German American Bund?

    1. whats with the cuss words being in pig Latin?

      I FEEL TRIGGERED!!!

      Oh nouwah, oh nouwah ::touches the sides of the walls of the safe room:: the walls are caving in, friends.

      Quick! Someone get me a McDonald’s Big Mac. ::takes a bite::

      You know, I feel a lot less triggered now.

      And yet . . . I feel so bad for eating this ::gulps extra large Coca Cola::

      1. Poop on the right, poop on the left. Stand up, sit down, fight, fight, fight!

  14. About 2 decades ago, Liberals and Democrats bowed to the childish, absurd, and vile leftists who follow the Alinsky smear campaign approach in order to gain and consolidate power. It was easy to anticipate the time to which we have arrived but the Democrats were either too power hungry or too stupid to recognize it. They are trying to strangle the most free, life-affirming, generous, and successful nation there ever was – the US. We know where to place the blame – and it’s time for Democrats and liberals to accept that they have been feeding the monster. I hope they get consumed by it now.

    1. Look at those former great cities like Detroit that had the riots, crime, looting back in the 60’s, once the out of control rioting/burning/rapes/mur.ders get out of control those areas never recover.

      Think about it, those that are fleeing DC/Maryland/NY/NJ/Cali/ etc., have thought about it so they’re leaving the progressive commie democrat run Shole areas. Property values are very much in doubt & will likely collapse, businesses there have either closed or will be, revenues then turn down to the cities/county/schools. state, Fed govt will collapse further so the 1st thing they’ll do is not cut teachers/pay/the size of govt/ employees… commie govts will go right into taking way the 2amd & massively raising taxes… then more people will just walk away & move.

      And don’t forgot about the Insurance companies watching all that Rioting Burning, Raping, Mur.dering…. You think just maybe they’re looking at cancelling All Polices , life insurance as well, or at least jacking rates up 3 or 4 times higher then before. I would be if I was insuring those rioting, no go zones.

        1. 2d and third tier cities in the Rustbelt suffered worse than Detroit from industrial shifts but aren’t latrines. What Detroit has never recovered from is 20 years of Coleman Young in the Mayor’s chair (for which Jerome Cavanaugh’s 8 years were a warm up act).

          1. I would think after 4 or 8 years logic would dictate that everyone could agree the commie crap isn’t working out so well & their old auto industry isn’t coming back like it was & move on to other industries, but’s been about 60 years.

            Apparently the IQ up there & many other commie/dem places is far below 70.

            Bring in some higher IQ people from Russia, Pollocks or Hong Kong & give them BTB & Paint Chip, etc. in trade lol;)

  15. “The Handbook warns of possible discipline without clearly defining what speech is hostile or biased”

    Gee, JT, why do you think this is? Because there is no such thing as hate speech! If there was, everyone could define it. I wonder how many of these liberal idiot have called the POTUS orange or fat. But that’s ok, correct? I am done being civil to Liberals. They are just hateful awful people.

    1. Younger versions of Natacha are who the professional scolds are interceding for.

    1. No, we all know that the number of vociferous conservatives on a campus of this size is numbered in single digits and they’re penalized by faculty when they speak up.

  18. It’s a woman’s college, ergo, a disproportionate share of the student body consists of lesbians. A great many lesbians are physically repulsive and / or have issues galore. I’m surprised Teh Crazy isn’t more pronounced on these campuses than it is.

    1. “A great many lesbians are physically repulsive”

      Sure, but then there are the smokin hot ones.

        1. She’s more attractive than deGenerate. Not my cup o’ tea, personally. And I’d never use the term ‘wife’ to describe a participant in homosexual pseudogamy.

  19. The really sick part of it all is when you stop to think how much of the money the parents of these students are paying for the useless, highly paid diversity administrators who come up with this nonsensical, time-wasting crap.

    1. Again, behind all these scandals is one vector: non-feasance on the part of trustees. I dearly wish you could sue or prosecute some of those drones for their complete failure as fiduciaries.

  20. Interesting how these offices of “Diversity” keep pushing uniformity.

    1. It’s a private college devoted strictly to academics and the arts. Twenty years ago, the College Republicans chapter would have had five members and been ignored by the student body. Nowadays, it will have five members whose events will be disrupted by obnoxious jerks with the connivance of enabler faculty and the dean of students.

      1. If we keep putting up with these mental ill deviants society will collapse into a communist hell hole within months.

        All these people promoting “Diversity crap” & those in these Diversity Offices need to be put in a psych ward 24/7 as they are among one of the greatest “public menaces” we face today aside from the billionaires that are financing their usefully idiots.

        Here in the video below is what any of you can expect from these Commies that Plague us now anywhere in the US at this time. I’m not sure if this is the video, but in one recently the azzholes mur.dered the guy. Arm yourself, don;t stop & defiantly don’t get out of the truck…. This is the very reason many truck divers are now refusing to delivery to those Progressive Commie Democrat run sh.ithole cities/state like NY/NJ/Cali etc….

        https://banned.video/watch?id=5f3ad584df77c4044ee5468a

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