One of the things that dismays me at our culture these days is the ever-increasing number of people who are easily offended.  In fact, in economic terms, I think they have a taste for offense.  It’s as if they are able to feel more self-righteous when they are offended, and hence feel better about themselves because their moral conscience can not tolerate whatever it is they are offended about.

The most amazing (or perhaps saddest) thing about this is the proliferation of “safe spaces” on campuses across the country, which ban free speech lest someone be offended.  As this example from Brown University showed:

The safe space, Ms. Byron explained, was intended to give people who might find comments “troubling” or “triggering,” a place to recuperate. The room was equipped with cookies, coloring books, bubbles, Play-Doh, calming music, pillows, blankets and a video of frolicking puppies, as well as students and staff members trained to deal with trauma.

Play-Doh, pillows & cookies?!  Really!?  I have a modest proposal to remedy this insanity.  Call it the former military-in-me-tough love approach.  We simply as a society cannot allow our young people to become adults with an attitude that they must be comforted if they hear an offensive idea.  Give them a pacifier yes, but safe space no! So I propose that every employer include these questions for every college graduate seeking employment at their firm.  As far as I know, since these could apply to any particular people group or sub-culture, no group could say they were unfairly targeted.

1.  Have you ever felt the need to go to a “safe space” during your college experience?  If yes, answer the following questions.
2. What was the cause of your need to go to said safe space?
3. Did you go?
4. Did you find that you were able to recover after your visit to the safe space?
5. Did you need to revisit the safe space any subsequent time?  How many safe space visits did you make during your collegiate time?
6. Do you believe that having a safe space at your place of employment is a necessary condition for you to accept a position with us?
7. If you hear ideas that previously drove you to seek a safe space, what are your plans to address that issue if you are one of our employees?
8. Do you believe you are now mature enough to tolerate ideas that you may not agree with without the need of a safe space?

Of course the employer should stop after question one if the answer is affirmative, then tell the applicant that for their safety, it is best that they pursue employment at a less-threatening institution.  Once the word gets around that safe spaces lead to no work places, I think we’ll see something different on our campuses.

This is of course somewhat tongue-in-cheek.  But would you want to hire a frequent visitor to a safe space?