Generation Y sets its rules of good behaviour

As Generation Y enters the world of higher education, it establishes rules of good behavior for itself. Below are the Safe Space Policy rules of the Edinburgh University Student Association (EUSA), as updated in 2014. These rules stipulate proper conduct at student meetings. From a cursory review of the press, the rules do not appear to deviate from the emerging norm.

A ‘zero-tolerance policy’ imposes automatic punishment for infractions of a stated rule, with the intention of eliminating undesirable conduct. Zero-tolerance policies forbid individuals in positions of authority from exercising discretion or altering punishments to fit the circumstances subjectively; they are required to impose a predetermined punishment regardless of individual culpability, extenuating circumstances, or history. This predetermined punishment need not be severe, but it is always meted out. This type of policy is categorical, even when it is not draconian. However, the lack of discretion may itself be perceived as draconian (I would consider it so).

The seriousness of purpose is matched by the severity of the punishment: expulsion. Immediate ostracism is the rule by majority vote. (Originally, ostracism was a complex and semi-religious procedure. It was an extrajudicial ritual that demanded no justification; it was the naked expression of the people’s sovereignty. At the same time, it was limited to one person per year, making them a sort of scapegoat.) The motion to expel can be tabled by ‘any student’ and not just the alleged victim (point 7 above). In fact, there may not even be a victim.

‘Unacceptable conduct’ is not defined through verifiable actions (e.g., ‘broken window’) but behaviour (and words); we are away from the proactive 19th-century adage: ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me.’

Gestures, sensory cues, and words (symbolic signs) are an intrinsic part of the adaptive capacity of any living being and a strategy for its survival (see The Handicap Principle: A Missing Piece of Darwin’s Puzzle by Amotz and Avishag Zahavi, and A Weakness in Bacteria’s Fortress by Carl Zimmer). Consciously or unconsciously, communication of provisional or emergent intentions takes place in infinite ways (we are just beginning to explore this world). Mimicry is an alternative strategy (nature is never categorical).

In higher social groups, signalling is intensified as a means to offset the tension from closeness with the benefits of collective action. Signals prove useful when ambiguous, affording the recipient the freedom to choose among many options rather than reacting in an automatic or mechanical fashion. Ambiguity thus facilitates adaptive pentimento and the preservation of dignity.

Forming an intention is a complex and time-consuming process, requiring a balance between emotions and rationality in every new situation. This discovery process relies on trial and error, where ambiguity often serves us best. The principle of finding balance extends to the development of collective intentions within groups, highlighting the nuanced interplay between individual and shared goals.

Social life, therefore, can be seen as a dance of ambiguity, employing signs and words with straightforward intent while also embracing shared, silent complicity. The use of ‘dog whistle’ sentences, relying on what is unsaid or on statements that imply the opposite, further illustrates this point. A zero-tolerance policy would restrict or eliminate the use of ambiguity, underscoring its essential role in facilitating complex social interactions and collective decision-making.

There is more. Expressing inchoate and even destructive emotions in a group helps in taming passions and coming to a considered yes. We shout each other into reason. Group dynamics should lead to an emotional and rational convergence – disrupting this process through ZTP leads to brittle agreements.

ZTP would have collateral effects: (a) it distracts participants from the task at hand by imposing ongoing multidimensional self-control on them; (b) it forces participants preventively to second-guess the reaction of the many ‘others’; and (c) like Damocles’ sword, it threatens to disrupt the dialogue at any time. Enforcing ZTP goes at the expense of substance.

ZTP tends to ignore the context. Students are free to choose between participating or not. They will join in a cooperative activity only if it yields a reasonable satisfaction. This experience depends on both endogenous and exogenous factors, but it must be gratifying (see Shifting Involvements: Private Interest and Public Action by Albert Hirachman). ZTP might be gratifying to the stigmatised minority but severely constrains even innocent behavior of the others.

ZTP, finally, easily becomes prey to partisanship. ZTP motions can be tabled by anyone at any time to intimidate opponents since violations are inevitable. Majorities are easily gathered as no one wants to be shown up as being soft on ZTP. A loose majority on procedure might oppress a minority arguing substance.

A right/obligation to feel discriminated?

Ten areas of ‘non-discrimination’ have been listed. The list is incomplete and, in any case, open-ended. (It behooves students, who do not work, to ignore occupation as a source of discrimination as in point 3). Ironically, any affirmative action in favour of victims is in itself a form of discrimination, only at a higher level. A ‘club of all victims’ does not eliminate their status as victims; it just creates a larger pool and amplifies the guilt feelings of the perpetrators by making them collectively responsible for all. Consequently, the approach is itself paternalistic: it stigmatises the victims as unable to fend for themselves. If ascertaining the stigma is a prerequisite, it is not the core challenge ahead. We need to enable the victim to overcome the stigma and no longer feel victimised.

The list grants the persons concerned an unassailable right/obligation ‘to feel offended.’ It creates a rift. People readily abuse the situation, as one observes at football (Italian) matches. As a rhetorical tool, claiming victimhood is very effective.

Becoming zombies

Under point 6, we have a list of inadmissible gestures. Following instructions to the letter, participants would be deprived of any spontaneity – what is expected is perfect mimetism. One wonders: is reading the paper, filing one’s nails, or even nodding off an infringement of ZTP? The inevitable outcome is participation as a zombie.

Eliminating all ‘negative’ gestures fosters a climate of contrived consensus based on tolerance. To a speaker, however, live interaction with the audience is critical. The speaker does not simply recite—unless he is speaking to TV cameras—but adapts his message to signs that the audience understands or supports/rejects the point. Ironically, this victimises the victim most: the right to speak codes to a right to be ignored.

I doubt finally whether ostracism is the right tool in dealing with stigma. We do not change people by shutting them up but rather by giving them safe experiences that show a possible way forward. If change is to occur, it must not be threatening. Socially validated experience changes us; isolation makes us extreme. Ostracism—the deliberate exclusion from social intercourse—denies the target its fundamental dignity.

Is Generation Y less able to deal with direct social intercourse?

Generation Y is the first generation to have used iPhones, tablets, and PCs for interpersonal communication. A screen and (often rudimentary) written texts have, to a significant extent, replaced—or at least supplemented—direct contact and interaction. One wonders whether enough experience has been accumulated, or whether the interposing of the screen has not dulled, or even crippled, the ability to interact socially.

Poorly written, overlong, yet vague and hapless, the Safe Policy Rules of Generation Y hint at a set of people who are insecure in social settings and desperately try to hide their ineptness in bureaucratic jargon.

ZTP aims for mimicry and its intellectual correlate, hermetism – not heightened social interaction. The logic of ZTP intimates the elimination of a meeting altogether. A structured social media chat on a virtual platform would do just as well. ZTP harkens back to the safe cocoon of the screen in one’s den, which allows for ostracism by zapping.

More fundamentally, ZTP treats stigmatisation symptomatically – by suppressing it, rather than addressing the root causes. It is an admission of collective impotence.

Octopuses are perfect mimics, very clever, and very solitary.

This post was first published on DeepDip.