4月17日晚美东时间7点，MIT将在王（Wong）礼堂，就美国大学当红炸子鸡话题，性别是2元的吗，以牛津辩论规则展开大辩论。
发现也有华人平台在传播这个事，但是不知道是故意恶搞还是个性问题，把辩论主题翻译成男人是否能怀孕。还加了个小丑的符号。也不做其他说明，不明就里的，当然会以为是极左搞出来的活动而避开。
辩论主办方MIT Free Speech Alliance@mitfreespeech（MFSA，麻省理工言论自由联盟）是个中立的组织，致力于校园，尤其是MIT的言论自由、学术自由，思想多元。主张用文明的辩论等手段而不是激进革命来改变大学校园思维僵化，一个意识形态挂帅这类日益严重的问题。笔者是MFSA的国际问题委员会head，我的一些读者也通过我多次对MFSA的介绍加入了该组织。
欢迎MIT的学生及员工注册，如果暂不想成为会员，可以先注册他们的email list，并选择匿名。
我们知道文革是从最好的大学清华北大开始的，美国这场文化战，也需要防范于未然，尤其大学校园已经是重灾区。
（视频：华人向美国比较文革跟美国当下极左革命第一人）
MFSA这样的组织虽然是中立的，但是目标是致力于刹车年轻人被一些不良校园文化传染的情况，给保守派在校园里与左派、中间派的声音同样的发声权利，值得支持。有的华人平台或许从来不必深入极左环境争取做成一些事情，以至于操作手段只适合在非常回音壁的情况下自娱自乐。如果是真的保守派，希望不要无端对自己阵营及实质上在帮助保守派的力量和他们的活动，随便冷嘲热讽。
请大家自己上线或者到现场去观看这个辩论。我也无需多费口舌。
四位辩手和主持人的信息介绍：
Aaron Kimberly有着感人的故事，他在加拿大一个小农业社区长大。
Holly Lawford-Smith来自新西兰，在澳大利亚当教授，为大家带来一个充满新西兰特色的观点，解释这些争议在她所在的半球是如何发展的。
Alex Byrne是麻省理工学院的哲学教授，他刚刚出版了一本名为《性别问题：性事实，性别虚构》的书。
Alice Dreger在跨性研究方面的工作包括写了三本书和做过一次TEDx演讲，观看次数超过一百万人次。
Nadine Strossen是大家熟悉的前ACLU主席，她在MFSA最近的两场辩论中担任了出色的主持工作。
Dear MFSA members and friends,
The MIT Free Speech Alliance (MFSA), the Sloan School Chapter of the Adam Smith Society, and the MIT Students for Open Inquiry are hosting a debate on the proposition “[t]hat sex is biological and binary and gender identity is no substitute for sex in social policy,” at MIT's Wong Auditorium at 7:00 p.m. tomorrow, April 17. The event will also be livestreamed, and later posted at MFSA’s YouTube page. For watching the livestream, no registration is needed. Full details are available at this link.
You may want to consider organizing a “watch party”, since it’s most fun to watch a debate with other people. Here’s how:
- Figure out how to get your TV or a friend’s to show YouTube (many of today’s smart TVs have the functionality built right in). Or, if your computer has a giant MIT-alum-style monitor, you can use that.
- Invite a friend, or a dozen friends, to join you. In doing this, you may consider inviting someone with a wall-sized TV or projector and then suggesting that they host the event at their place.
- Buy lots of potato chips, beer, bourbon, and soft drinks in various permutations of caffeinated, diet, and fizzy.
- Watch the show Wednesday night!
If you’re short on friends to watch with, let us know and we’ll send you the emails of some MFSA members in your locale whom you can invite. Feel free to contact me at erasmuse61@gmail.com.
As usual for MFSA, this will be a real debate. Both sides have top-notch people–no ringers here. All four debaters and the moderator are eminently googleable. Aaron Kimberly has a fascinating story from his upbringing in a small Canadian farming community. Holly Lawford-Smith is from New Zealand and teaches in Australia, bringing a kiwi-inflected perspective on how these controversies have played out in her hemisphere. Alex Byrne is an MIT Philosophy professor who has just written a book titled Trouble with Gender: Sex Facts, Gender Fictions. Alice Dreger's work on intersex studies includes three books plus a TEDx talk viewed over a million times. Nadine Strossen you will know from her superb moderation of MFSA’s last two debates.
We hope you’ll join us and bring some friends along for the ride.
Regards,
Eric Rasmusen, Ph.D. ‘84
MFSA Director and Chair, MFSA Communications Committee
