The Sunday Read: ‘The Safe Space That Became a Viral Nightmare’
The Daily2 Okt 2022

The Sunday Read: ‘The Safe Space That Became a Viral Nightmare’

In September 2021, a group of female minority students at Arizona State University confronted two white male students who were studying in the library’s multicultural center.

The women were upset with what they saw as blatant antagonism: One of the men sported a “Didn’t Vote for Biden” shirt, the other had a “Police Lives Matter” laptop sticker. The women felt they had chosen the multicultural center in order to rile them. A heated row between both parties erupted, a video of which quickly went viral, threatening to upend the lives of all involved.

For The New York Times, Sarah Viren, a journalist and essayist, explored the incident in the context of “the widening gyre of the culture wars.” The row at Arizona State was, she explained, “a symbolic fight,” one that raised questions of “wokeism” and “free speech,” the perils of viral videos, and the purpose of “safe spaces.”

“It was a brief drama that was also a metaphor,” Ms. Viren wrote. “But watching and rewatching that drama unfold from my computer, I kept asking myself: a metaphor for what?”

This story was written by Sarah Viren and recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episoder(2803)

The 2026 Battle for Control of Congress

The 2026 Battle for Control of Congress

This year, the 2026 midterm elections will decide which party controls Congress, and whether Republicans can hold on to every lever of influence in Washington.Annie Karni and Shane Goldmacher, who cov...

7 Jan 30min

Venezuela, After Maduro

Venezuela, After Maduro

On Monday, President Trump picked Vice President Delcy Rodríguez of Venezuela, now the interim leader, to continue to preside over the country instead of María Corina Machado, the opposition leader.An...

6 Jan 35min

From President to Defendant: The Legal Case Against Maduro

From President to Defendant: The Legal Case Against Maduro

Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela was brought to New York with his wife over the weekend to face criminal charges.Charlie Savage, who covers national security and legal policy, discusses the legality of Mr....

5 Jan 33min

Inside the U.S. Operation to Oust Venezuela’s President

Inside the U.S. Operation to Oust Venezuela’s President

The United States captured Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan president, over the weekend in a swift and overwhelming military operation. Mr. Maduro was pictured blindfolded, handcuffed and later brought ...

4 Jan 29min

‘The Headlines’: The U.S. Captures Nicolás Maduro

‘The Headlines’: The U.S. Captures Nicolás Maduro

A special episode from "The Headlines" on the U.S. military operation in Venezuela. Tomorrow, The Daily will publish an episode with more details about Maduro's capture and what comes next for Venezue...

3 Jan 3min

50 States, 50 Fixes

50 States, 50 Fixes

As the U.S. government reverses course on renewable energy projects and other policies related to climate change, environmental solutions may seem out of reach. But they’re happening all over the coun...

2 Jan 26min

She Fell in Love With ChatGPT: An Update

She Fell in Love With ChatGPT: An Update

This week, The Daily is revisiting some of our favorite episodes of the year and checking in on what has happened in the time since.Warning: This episode discusses sexual themes.Artificial intelligenc...

31 Des 202520min

Family Separation 2.0: An Update

Family Separation 2.0: An Update

This week, The Daily is revisiting some of our favorite episodes of the year and checking in on what has happened in the time since.In his first 100 days in office this term, President Trump struggled...

30 Des 202521min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
forklart
popradet
aftenpodden-usa
stopp-verden
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
rss-gukild-johaug
det-store-bildet
fotballpodden-2
i-retten
dine-penger-pengeradet
rss-ness
nokon-ma-ga
aftenbla-bla
hanna-de-heldige
frokostshowet-pa-p5
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
bt-dokumentar-2
rss-dannet-uten-piano