Colin Through the Looking Glass

Colin Through the Looking Glass

Now I know why I am not allowed on campus: I might enter into a (non-romantic) romantic relationship with a student and fail to report it because it would be bad for the student. It’s perfectly clear: it’s wrong to not report (non-romantic) romantic relationships even if to make such a report would harm the student, especially if the student doesn’t want you to. If I visited the campus to listen to a paper, this would almost certainly happen. I should have harmed the student for no reason by making a false report about our relationship—perfectly logical! Contradictions don’t count against this mandate; consequences don’t matter. That’s just how it is through the looking glass. I also understand why faculty go along with this prohibition: they are afraid they might have their heads chopped off if they question it, or not be promoted. There is nothing stupid or cowardly about this—it’s just simple self-preservation. Yes, it all makes perfect sense now.