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Outbursts

I think Stepp and Rogers are right when they say that after-round
outbursts are undesirable. I really disagree, however, with Tuna's
initial suggestion that most outbursts are a form of "strategic
deterrence." I think people just lose their temper. It's ashame all
of us aren't level-headed role models, but the unfortunate reality is
that we're not. If Stepp is serious about the CEDA tent being large
enough for everone to fit under, why can't it be large enough to
tolerate those who do have a propensity to explode occasionally.

But in the "real world," the first amendment generally protects
outbursts, as long as that outburst remains in the realm of speech.
If one of my students went beserk over a grade in one of my classes
and rose to express that anger, I still believe that it would be
inappropriate for me to attempt to remove that student from the class
or punish them through recourse to higher rungs in the hierarchy. For
goodness sake, we are speech professors! If we can't attempt to
respond to an outburst without resorting to punitive measures, what
have WE learned? It's like the tolerance rationale advanced in legal
analysis of 1st Amendment free speech. Free speech means little
unless we also allow it to protect those things that would repulse
some of us. Flag-burning may seem detestable to many of us, but
punishing people for expressing their political views seems far more
dangerous.

Jack, I too have a child, and when she was four I realized that
punitive actions to every little temper tantrum only serve to disrupt
our relationship. Tolerance may result in changing social mores, but,
just in case you haven't looked, behavioral expectations change
whether we try to stop them or not. Walking out of the room, not
development of a list of accepted punitive measures, still seems the
moral high ground, particularly for speech professors. I find your
reference to studies of military discipline only feeds my
perspective. I don't want the debate to be a classroom or a military
barracks. I'm willing to tolerate perceptions of potential weakness
on my part. Personally, I would perceive punitive measures as a
greater sign of weakness and abandonment of even the attempt at
reasoned discourse.

No one has ever really threatened me. No one has ever thrown anything
at me. Words are tolerable. Retribution is clearly questionable.
Seems an easy call.

Taking my medicine and climbing back in bed,

Bear

Michael "Bear" Bryant           Internet: mbryant@central.weber.edu
Director of Forensics           Home:   801-399-4253
Department of Communication     Office: 801-626-7186
Weber State University          Fax:    801-626-7975
Ogden, UT  84408-1605           AOL:    MWBRYANT@AOL.COM
                                Prodigy:UHMH64C@PRODIGY.COM
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Archive created by Jonathan Stanton (jonathan@cs.jhu.edu)
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