College Fix on the attempted indoctrination of middle school 12-year-olds: 

A Tampa, Florida, mother was livid after her seventh grade daughter brought home an assignment – from her Spanish class – asking about students’ so-called privilege.

Apparently, being a white-skinned child automatically means you’re “privileged” and by implication guilty. The teacher in question also felt that the 12-year-old children should announce whether they were intersex or “genderqueer.” Somewhat related, the second item here. 

Peter Fricke finds the obligatory campus blather about “diversity” somewhat superficial: 

Unable to prevent Ben Shapiro from speaking at Penn State despite aggressive chanting, student protestors vented their frustration by defacing flyers and throwing papers on the floor.

There’s more, but the self-righteous littering pretty much sums it up. Shapiro’s talk, video of which is here, was on what happens when “diversity” ideology and leftist censoriousness stifle free speech and intellectual pluralism. An irony that may have escaped the protesting students, who were busy feeling pleased with themselves while threatening violence if the talk didn’t stop and drawing swastikas on the face of a Jewish visitor.

And in entirely unrelated news, the Wall Street Journal reports:

More than 40% of Americans who borrowed from the government’s main student-loan program aren’t making payments or are behind on more than $200 billion owed, raising worries that millions of them may never repay.

Feel free to share your own links and snippets, on any subject, in the comments. It’s what these posts are for.

It was an educational outing. // Niche research. // Is there nothing trombones can’t do? // Miracle breakthrough in navel lint removal. // Previously, the incredible world of navel fluff and a 25-year collection of it, stored in jars, obviously. // Landmarks under construction. // Man builds own Scarlett Johansson robot. // Wagner with robot hats. // Wasp nest of note. // “The to-and-fro movement of the armchair knits hats for the winter.” // A Tumblr devoted to Rule 34. // Rise of the vegetation. // This. // MondriPong. // Jigsaw puzzle of note. // Japan at speed. // How to make Jenga more exciting. // Nicely done. // Accents of the British Isles. // Blek. // Bomber jackets. // Deconstructed garden. // Face. // And finally, via Damian, this must be one of the later Enid Blyton stories.

Laurie is doing her riot girl routine again:

And inches above, pinned as important, there’s this: 

Some thrilling developments at Edinburgh University:

Ms Imogen Wilson, 22, was subject to a “safe space complaint” over her supposedly “inappropriate hand gestures” during a student council meeting.

Thug life. No, wait. It wasn’t that kind of gesture.  

Ms Wilson said she raised her arm in disagreement.

And such reckless provocation simply will not do.

According to the association’s rules, student council meetings should be held in a “safe space environment,” defined as “a space which is welcoming and safe and includes the prohibition of discriminatory language and actions.” This includes “refraining from hand gestures which denote disagreement,” or “in any other way indicating disagreement with a point or points being made.”

Ah, the student left and its adorable tendencies.

According to the [students association] safe space rules, only gestures that indicate agreement are “permissible”.

And so,

A complaint was made against Ms Wilson, who was then subjected to a vote on whether she should be removed from the room.

I can’t help thinking these students are just a tad overwound. But at least things can’t get sillier.

Although the vote went in her favour, with 18 people voting to remove her and 33 voting for her to be allowed to remain, she was later threatened with another complaint after shaking her head while someone was speaking.

Burn the witch!

You know, I don’t think I can top this one today.

Update, via the comments:

The perils of identity politics, summarised in two-step Twitter form:

First: 

And then, 13 minutes later: