”You have the emotional capacity to make that decision on your own.”
Fox News’ “The Five” discussed on Wednesday news that Delaware State University was banning snowball fights on campus during winter months because of safety concerns.
Fox 6 first reported on the ban, noting that the university “is trying to ban snowballs in the effort to create a ‘safe space.'”
“The Five’s” hosts reacted to the news with skepticism and bemusement.
“This goes along with everything fun being taken away,” Dana Perino said.
“Isn’t it ironic that the people banning snowballs are snowflakes?” Greg Gutfeld added.
According to Fox 6, the university fears the threat of “potential harm to others” presented by iced-over snowballs, particularly ones thrown inside of residence halls. Students in violation of the university’s new policy could be punished with warnings, reprimands, community service, fines, or disciplinary probation.
The university also prohibits water guns, super soakers, and masks during school activities.
The news touches on a broader cultural debate over the trend of “safe spaces” on colleges.
Many conservatives see “safe spaces” as an example of how universities ”coddle” modern day students in an attempt to protect them from harsh realities.
“By the time you’re an adult, you should be given the freedom to decide whether or not you’d like to participate in a snowball or water-gun fight on your own,” Kat Timpf, writing on the university’s snowball fight ban for the National Review, argued.
“You have the emotional capacity to make that decision on your own,” Timpf added. “What’s more, by the time you’ve reached adulthood, you generally know how to wield both snowballs and water guns in a responsible way.”
On the other hand, many progressives argue that “safe spaces” are valuable as places of refuge for marginalized groups oppressed by society.
“On top of the personal rejections that everyone faces in life, people in marginalized groups also have to face the feeling that society wasn’t really designed for them; that it considers them an afterthought at best,” wrote Emily Crockett in an explainer about “safe spaces” for Vox in August of 2016. “People in dominant cultural groups are used to rejection, but they’re probably not used to that kind of rejection. And they’re probably not used to being forced to pay attention to all the little social cues and codes that others pick up when trying to navigate a society that isn’t inherently made to fit them.”
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