Dealing with racist classmates and city

[Scumbag_Steve]

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[A Pre-dent]

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[Scumbag_Steve]

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[DrJeff]

Dude I literally cannot express how much this post resonates with me.

I love my friends, and I love the classmates that I know will be my classmates already, and I'm sure I'll make friends with the rest. However, I am utterly flabbergasted at how ****ing stupid most, not some, but most, people our own age can be when it comes to many things. Many of our peers have limited understanding of politics, history, the context of social issues, not to mention a big lack of competence in what you would call "street smarts". This applies to pretty much everything. It's sad, but a lot of peers, even those who performed very well academically and at least make an honest effort to help the community outside of padding their resumes, simply have no functional knowledge of the world outside of the Netflix shows they watch and the music they listen to. And apps on their phone. It's not that their incapable of being well-informed, well-rounded adults who have a functional knowledge of different things in life; it's that they make no effort to be, and that's what hurts the most.

I know I'm probably sounding like a hypocrite because besides this year I have been living with my parents or on a college campus, but for this past year I've been living on my own, figuring out how "the real world" works, gaining new experiences in new places, and basically giving myself a self-directed crash course on being an "adult". I can't say it's entirely the our own fault, but people our age just don't seem to "get it" when it comes to a lot of things.

Here's to hoping my dental school did a better job than the OP's school, as well as most others, in selecting a class full of worldly, competent people, in the most general and versatile sense. I already know a good deal of classmates who are, so it gives me some hope.

Sorry for the tangent.

Before anyone thinks that they have "how the world should be" figured out, when as you correctly say that you've never really lived in the "real" world, take some time, get out of school, earn your own paycheck, pay some taxes(hopefully a lot because that means you're making a bunch of $$), have a family, experience what it's like to be a parent (easily the biggest life changing event I've ever been through and continue to go through every day!) and then very, very, very often your views about what is and isn't an important problem in this world WILL change drastically.

One of the most profound phrases that I've ever encountered was from Socrates, who said "the one thing I know is that I know nothing" that applies to life very well I've found, where when you think that you know something, or what the problem is, in reality, you likely don't

 

[Scumbag_Steve]

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[Soleus715]

Lots of great ideas and opinions here..

Practically though, I would just do whatever is necessary so that you can continue focusing on getting the best dental education possible.
If it's something you can change (just ignoring/avoiding them), you can do that. If they start bringing it to you and you can't ignore it, then maybe it's time to take action.

Hopefully this doesn't become a severe issue for you. You're investing a great deal of time and money into becoming a dentist.. This sort of thing is not worth getting in the way of your future.

 

[willwash]

Since OP doesn't mention anything about having the government intervene and act against their classmates, I am unsure why you bring up freedom of speech. Unless you're one of those who thinks "freedom of speech" means "freedom from being called out for being a jerk..." The question is how to handle such comments from fellow students. Absolutely zero to do with the first amendment.

OP floated the idea of bringing it up with the school administration. OP has no reason to do so other than to have some sort of external force applied to his classmates to compel the cessation of the speech deemed offensive. The First Amendment protects against government, yes, and thus in some loose academic sense it does not apply, but the universal principle of freedom of speech upon which the First Amendment is based absolutely applies to this situation as it does to every situation.

OP, what is your goal in bringing it up to school administration? You want these people kicked out of school? Put on warning or probation? In other words, in some capacity to make their continuance in the dental school contingent upon their compliance? You can justify it however you want, and in this instance I'm not saying it isn't justified, but it is suppression of the principle of free speech.

The very principle of freedom of speech is specifically intended to protect offensive, unpopular speech. If speech were inoffensive and popular, it would not need protection.