When listening to people talking about their pain, you’ve got to actually listen and do so respectfully, even when you disagree with what they’re asking for. Probably especially when you disagree. Even more so when you’re one of the people responsible for the speakers’ safety.
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I’ve sat on panels where angry people who feel threatened ask me to make decisions to ameliorate their pain (zoning & school facilities). Sometimes the anger is unjustified, but it often is, & not always when you expect. If you don’t listen respectfully, people can never trust your vote against them
The people who should be most angry at these Columbia administrators are those who want the school to show more respect for pro-Palestinian demonstrators. These texts made it much harder for the school to move in that direction.
