- The universities say they are ignoring the idea that race plays a role in success in life
- The move was called ‘cowardly’ and dismissed as part of the ‘woke agenda’
Britain’s top universities warned staff and students that saying ‘the most qualified person should get the job’ is a microaggression.
Russell Group universities, including the University of Glasgow, have provided guidance and even training to teach people how to eliminate microaggressions.
Guidance from the Scottish university and the engineering department at Imperial College London insisted that use of the term was discriminatory.
The guidance from the University of Glasgow is the latest advice from their anti-racism campaign and the university explained that the phrase ignored the idea that race plays a role in success in life.
The top universities said other examples of microaggressions – subtle or thinly veiled everyday forms of discrimination – could include telling people that ‘anyone can succeed if they work hard enough’.
Russell Group universities, including the University of Glasgow, have provided guidance and even training to teach people how to eliminate microaggressions
Other examples of microaggressions include the use of phrases such as ‘men and women have equal opportunities to achieve’ and ‘affirmative action is racist’ (Stock Image)
The university suggested the statement meant some people were only given their jobs to tick a box or fill a quota.
Other examples of microaggressions included the use of phrases such as ‘men and women have equal opportunities to achieve’ and ‘affirmative action is racist’.
Newcastle University warned students and staff not to comment on discussions about police brutality where ‘white people are also killed by police’ The Telegraph reported.
These recent statements and guidelines were unveiled by the Committee on Academic Freedom (CAF), a group of academics concerned about the erosion of freedom of expression on campus.
Dr. Edward Skidelsky, lecturer in philosophy at the University of Exeter and director of CAF, was alarmed by this statement and expressed fears about a lack of freedom of expression on university campuses.
He said: ‘By campaigning against doubt and denial, these universities are advocating an uncritical acceptance of statements in the various, undefined areas to which they refer.
‘The effect is once again that a culture of free research is undermined.’
chris McGovern, the chair of the Campaign for Real Education, said: ‘It appears that the woke virus has infected universities on a large scale. It’s cowardly. Universities are supposed to demonstrate their intelligence and reason and they are not applying their intelligence and reason to pursue the woke agenda.”
Chris McGovern, the chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said: ‘It appears the woke virus has infected universities on a large scale.
‘It’s cowardly. Universities are supposed to demonstrate their intelligence and reason and they are not applying their intelligence and reason to pursue the woke agenda.”
The universities were contacted for comment.
This latest move from the UK’s top universities follows the revelation that more than half of UK universities are pushing controversial and radical ‘woke’ ideologies to students according to a damning ranking.
Some of the country’s most prestigious institutions are “poisoning the minds of future generations”, critics said last night, by subjecting students and academics to “trigger warnings” and advice about “white privilege”.
The table, compiled by Dr Richard Norrie, a researcher at the think tank Civitas, ranks 137 universities after scouring websites, national and local media and promotional materials for examples of ‘campus wokery’.
Elite Russell Group universities dominate the rankings, accounting for eight of the top ten places. Cambridge and Oxford come first and second after introducing ‘unconscious bias’ and race workshops for first year students, followed by the University of Bristol, which has banned words such as ‘humanity’ to avoid causing offence.
The findings have been branded ‘disturbing’ by free speech activists and MPs, who say a ‘dark shadow’ of political correctness has now fallen over our most desirable universities.
The table, compiled by Dr Richard Norrie, a researcher at the think tank Civitas, found that 62 per cent of 137 universities had been funded due to the trigger warning and that 79 institutions mentioned ‘white privilege’ in their guidance to staff and students.