Probably helpful to note that "safe space" (sometimes now "safer space") is
term routinely used on American campuses and by advocates for various
marginalized groups with roughly agreed upon meaning (though that meaning
is turning out to be a bit of a moving target)

Defined on the Advocates For Youth web site as:


   - *"Safe space:* A place where anyone can relax and be fully
   self-expressed, without fear of being made to feel uncomfortable,
   unwelcome, or unsafe on account of biological sex, race/ethnicity, sexual
   orientation, gender identity or expression, cultural background, age, or
   physical or mental ability; a place where the rules guard each person's
   self-respect and dignity and strongly encourage everyone to respect
   others"[1]

Defined with more depth on the geek feminism wiki:

Safe space is a term for an area or forum where either a marginalised group
are not supposed to face standard mainstream stereotypes and
marginalisation, or in which a shared political or social viewpoint is
required to participate in the space. For example, a feminist safe space
would not allow free expression of anti-feminist viewpoints, and would
typically also prevent concern trolling and continual Feminism 101
discussions in favour of feminist discussion among feminists. Safe spaces
may require trigger warnings and restrict content that might hurt people
who have strong reactions to depictions of abuse or harm or mental illness
triggers.

Physical safe spaces exist in some geek communities; for instance, WisCon
had a safe space for people of colour in 2009, and women-centric events
such as the LinuxChix miniconf effectively act as safe spaces, although not
overtly advertised as such. Women-only classes and workshops are also safe
spaces. Physical safe spaces are often reserved only for members of the
oppressed group.[2]

The obvious question when declaring a safe space becomes "safe for whom?"
or maybe "safe for what activities?"  There's a joke going around right now
that Trump Rallies are giant safe spaces for older white angry americans to
air their feelings of marginalization and anger without being confronted by
the dreaded Politically Correct.


I am a white straight married male, with enough money to live in NYC, a
full head of hair and a relatively low distance to authority. This puts me
in a fairly privileged group, though there are certainly times when I feel
my voice is marginalized—say hanging out with a bunch of finance guys, or I
guess writing this post (I am a visiting instructor with a Masters Degree
in design and no plans to seek a PhD or full professorship)

We need to be careful to encourage new voices and work to understand where
they are coming from, but anyone seeking a voice in a forum like this
should understand that this is about as safe as an art school crit.

All the best,

ASJS

[1]
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=607&Itemid=177

[2] http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Safe_space







www.smithdesignoffice.com
@asjs

+1 917 568 5438

On Wed, Jul 6, 2016 at 8:56 AM, Gunnar Swanson <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> Lilly (and everyone),
>
> (I know I am risking coming off as an un-empathetic jerk at best but I
> hope people can trust that I am trying to understand; please read the
> following questions as actual questions, not as rhetorical questions.)
>
> Could you flesh your statements out a bit for those of us who are unsure
> of what is being suggested?
>
> > - how safe spaces cannot simply be declared but have to be created, like
> > trust, over time
>
> The traditional use of the word "safe" is to mean protected from danger or
> harm. Can you help us understand what particular dangers or harms have
> happened here and/or are feared here?
>
> (Or is there some other notion of safety we should be aware of?
>
> > - how "robust" discussion dominates other values like listening and
> > attempting to empathize
>
>
> How do you think people should, as a rule, deal with assertions they
> believe are misguided or false (or that they simply don’t fully
> understand)? What is the alternative to what I might call traditional
> academic procedure—someone positing ideas then others critiquing them then
> others defending them?
>
> > Questions of speaking -- who speaks, who listens -- are, despite comments
> > otherwise, precisely related to privilege.
>
> In the case of this listserv, how do you respond to someone who believes
> that "who speaks" is determined by who choses to speak? If the question is
> who believe that they have standing to speak, how do we assure others that
> the notion of standing is wrong?*
>
> In a forum such as this, how does one know that someone has really
> listened unless there are responses that (perhaps sharply) question what
> was said?
>
> > Perhaps this list needs a culture of robust care for new positions and
> > ideas, as much as critical discussion
>
>
> How does one care for positions and ideas other than by questioning them
> so they can be fully understood? (That may be a restating of my previous
> question.)
>
> Thanks.
>
>
> Gunnar
>
> *I am not arguing against claims of privilege in general but I strongly
> believe that those who think that there is a hefty cover charge at our door
> are mistaken. (I am, of course, open to being demonstrated to be wrong. I
> love to be wrong; that’s when I learn stuff.)
>
>
> Gunnar Swanson
> East Carolina University
> graphic design program
>
> http://www.ecu.edu/cs-cfac/soad/graphic/index.cfm
> [log in to unmask]
>
> Gunnar Swanson Design Office
> 1901 East 6th Street
> Greenville NC 27858
> USA
>
> http://www.gunnarswanson.com
> [log in to unmask]
> +1 252 258-7006
>
>
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