"On the Other Hand...."

You can't say that at Colby College


Hat tip Campus Reform

2/21/16

Pugh Center

Ability

A student used the phrase "on the other hand".

Colby College, for all you UC Santa Cruz Community Studies majors, is located in Maine. They have recently posted recent bias offenses that have occurred on campus including one ugly incident in which someone said, "on the other hand".

http://www.campusreform.org/?ID=7746


“Bias incidents affect not only the individual victim or target of a specific action, but often make an entire group (or community) feel vulnerable and unwelcome,” the administration warns. “This is unacceptable at Colby and will be treated as a serious offense that could include separation from the College.”

Well, one the one hand, this strikes me (no pun intended) as a bit of an over reaction, wouldn't you say?

"Uhhhh.....yeaaaah."

On the other hand, there is no downplaying the hurt that can be caused to one hand when the other hand is excluded and treated as "the other". Clearly, to refer to only one hand at a time is hardly inclusionary.