I recently had a professor make a discriminatory remark about people with mental illness. The prof argued that most people wouldn’t want someone with a mental illness flying a plane.
Our society has a very skewed idea of what mental illness is and usually associates it with negative tendencies. This adds to the fear these people face of discrimination, unequal access of opportunity, and marginalization.
After my prof’s discriminatory remarks, my heart was racing. Knowing that boiling anger and confrontation don’t always make for a good stew, I waited a day to decide on an action plan.
In the end I chose the “you’ve got mail!” approach. I knew I needed to present my arguments in a professional manner.
Here are a couple of tips for confronting a prof.
Tip one: avoid using “you” language. It might not be best to say, “Your opinion that people with mental illness shouldn’t fly a plane…” As soon as you use “you” language, the person on the other end is going to feel attacked. This is what you want to avoid. What you do want to use is “I” language. For example, “I felt the point being made…” This attacks the point being made, not the person.
Tip two is end on a high note. Thank your prof for allowing the space they provide in class to have discussions/debates such as these.
I wish you all the best in finding your own way to stand up to profs and others in your life for what you feel is right.