Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson is defending his comments that he would try to overwhelm a shooter and "would not just stand there" in a mass shooting attack. Then, Gov. Brown yesterday signed what’s being called the nation’s toughest equal pay law based on gender. Also, we listen to Larry Mantle and guests speak about "microagressions" at UC Irvine.
Ben Carson on active shooters: 'I would not just stand there'
Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson is defending his comments that he would try to overwhelm a shooter and "would not just stand there" in a mass shooting attack.
Critics have said his remarks appeared to blame the victims of shootings, including the latest one at an Oregon community college. Carson said his remark was intended as advice for future attacks.
"I want to plant in people's minds what to do in a situation like this. Because unfortunately this is probably not going to be the last time this happens," he told CBS. Earlier, Carson said if he had been present at the Oregon attack, he would have tried to stop the gunman who killed nine people.
"Not only would I probably not cooperate with him, I would not just stand there and let him shoot me. I would say, 'Hey guys, everybody attack him. He may shoot me, but he can't get us all,'" he said.
A gun rights supporter, Carson says one solution is more aggressive intervention for people with psychological problems and keeping guns from people declared dangerous by psychiatrists.
How do you think you would respond in an active shooter situation? What is your reaction to Carson's statements?
Guests:
Gary Namie, PhD. in Social Psychology, Co-Founder, The Workplace Bullying Institute, He has 21 years university teaching experience in management and psychology, including the University of Southern California
CA now has the toughest gender equity pay law in the country. So how does it work?
Gov. Brown yesterday what’s being called the nation’s toughest equal pay law based on gender.
The measure is an expansion of existing laws, and puts the burden of proof on employers being sued for discrimination to explain exactly why two people doing similar work are paid differently. The law also bars employers from retaliating against employees who choose to how much they make at work.
Gov. Brown was expected to sign the bill into law, after it cleared the state legislature unanimously. The law has the support or workers’ and women’s rights, as well as from the state’s business sector.
Guests:
Jennifer Reisch, Legal Director at Equal Rights Advocates (ERA), a San Francisco-based organization that defend women’s rights through advocacy and litigation. ERA is a co-sponsor of the bill that Gov. Brown signed into law
Analyzing Governor Brown’s choice to sign one drone bill, not others
It’s now going to be that much harder for the paparazzi to use drones to aid in their work, thanks to new legislation out of Sacramento.
Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 856 on Tuesday, which creates bigger privacy protections for people against paparazzi who would fly a drone over their private property. The bill also changes the definition of “physical invasion of privacy” to also encompass anyone who flies a drone on private property to shoot photos or video.
Brown’s decision is interesting, however, because in the last several weeks, the Governor has rejected a number of other bills that would have changed drone laws. One of them would have made it a trespassing violation for someone to fly a drone over private property without permission. Several others would have prevented operators from flying drones near, prisons, schools, jails, wildfires.
What message is Governor Brown sending by signing one drone law bill but not the others?
Guests:
Steven Miller, practicing attorney and partner in the Public Agency practice at Hanson Bridgett, in San Francisco, California where he advises local government, manufacturers and users on drone policy. He also writes the blog hoverlaw.com
Greg McNeal, associate professor of law and public policy at Pepperdine University. He also co-founded AirMap, a company that provides safety software for drones.
AT30 Irvine – The future of speech and ‘microaggressions’ on college campuses
The University of California has come under fire this summer for a series of workshops for deans and department heads on so-called microaggressions -- "slights, snubs or insults...that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target people based solely on their marginalized group membership," according to a University memo.
They can be intentional or not, and range from questions such as "Where were you born?" to statements about America being a melting pot, or claiming that gender plays no part in who you hire. UC officials claim these types of microaggressions can create a hostile learning environment and they advise faculty to avoid them; Opponents say it's tantamount to censorship.
Are efforts to protect students from emotional distress limiting important campus debate?What responsibility should the university have in balancing free speech with protecting against offending others?
As college students head back to school, we'll go with them. In the next AirTalk on the road, we're heading to the University of California-Irvine for a heated discussion about the future of speech on American campuses.
During last night's panel discussion, tensions rose as the debate surrounding microagressions got deeper and more personal.
Here are some highlights from last night’s event:
During the panel discussion, tensions rose as the debate surrounding microagressions got deeper and more personal. It became clear that the approaches to handling microagressions are endless.
Among the panelists was Tanya Sanabria, a graduate student at UC Irvine’s Department of Sociology. She served as one voice out of thousands of students who had personal experiences with microagressions and gave examples of how she moderates discussions on the subject as a teacher’s aid at the University.
“Students are often afraid to discuss race, and some don’t know how to address tough conversations,” Sanabria said. “Students bring personal experiences of racism, sexism and a buildup of microaggressions to their conversations in the classroom, and it can get emotional for students.”
Greg Lukianoff, president and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education or FIRE, was adamant about students saying what’s on their minds, even if conversations become messy.
“People are talking on eggshells,” Lukianoff said.“But what that sounds like is not sensitivity, but instead it sounds patronizing.”
Alonzo Bodden is a comedian and winner of the third season of the reality television series, “Last Comic Standing.” Aside from bringing brevity to the event, Bodden brought a perspective outside the realm of academia.
As someone who deals with the subject of microagressions on a public level, Bodden spoke about his experience taking the stage at college campuses.
“When it comes to comics performing on colleges, my experience is that students have a sense of humor, but it’s the administrators who are worried about words and phrases,” Bodden said.
Lukianoff and Bodden also spoke about the responsibility of educators to teach the historical context of offensive language and racial slurs.
“How can you teach without using a word?” Bodden said. “I think it is more offense to use ignorance.”
At the end of the night, questions were taken by audience members. One lecturer spoke about the difference between microagressions and macroagressions. She said microagressions can make people question their responses and question themselves. Her comments shed light on the power of these small offenses and how it can be difficult to detect them, which may ultimately be more hurtful than an overtly offensive comment.
“Microaggressions are difficult to understand because they are micro...many times we have to second guess ourselves and ask was that a microaggression?” Sanabria said. “It is a hard thing to understand and pinpoint with all the subtle nuances of it.”
Guests:
Alonzo Bodden, comedian and winner of the third season of the reality television series, Last Comic Standing
Bradley Campbell, Associate Professor at the California State University, Los Angeles Department of Sociology; he co-authored the recent paper “Microaggressions and Moral Cultures”
Doug Haynes, Professor of History at University of California Irvine’s School of Humanities
Greg Lukianoff, President and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE); he co-authored The Atlantic’s September cover story, “The Coddling of the American Mind”
Tanya Sanabria, graduate student in the University of California Irvine’s Department of Sociology and a former council member with the Diverse Educational Community and Doctoral Experience (DECADE)