To start, I resent the idea that because something was done a certain way at a certain time in the past that that is inherently better which I feel is implied by McBride's commentary. At the same time, I also believe that just because a way of doings things is old or because something is old doesn't make it bad.
But McBride's commentary doesn't even make an attempt to understand why such a workshop would be considered as necessary and it seems more than a little suspect that as a white man he's proclaiming that there were no problems in the past. Furthermore, because he doesn't understand he has a misconception that a "safe space" is about feelings, about catering to special interests, about division. That's bollocks, a complete and utter reductive conception spoken out of ignorance. But I suppose none of that stuff would be important to someone whose society caters to his every whim, whose history is affirmed in textbooks, whose identity is never questioned, whose safety is not threatened because of who he is as a white man, etc. If his idea of division means that we don't all want to be become white men, or to behave as a white man behaves (even in his "best self" form) then I suppose I would say that there is some division.
About midway through the commentary, McBride says this is a waste of time. He recommends that instead there should be self-defense courses so that people could be physically and mentally prepared to defend themselves and they wouldn't need safe spaces. This is kinda ridiculous if you stop and think for a moment. Is punching my way out of every problem really how I can best represent my Jedi path? Last I checked, people didn't respond well when I took a scorched earth approach to handling aggressive people here at the Temple. People wanted me to talk things out, to educate, and to build empathy. That's what a goddamn safe space is for. I'm not asking anyone to protect my feelings. My feelings get hurt when it rains on days I wanted to spend outside, there's nothing anyone can do about the rain and I am not asking you to fix that.
McBride is yet another whiny member of the old guard who refuses to accept change, refuses to understand anything beyond what he already understands, and thinks the Jedi have lost their way because they no longer cater to his personal view of what Jedi should be. And you know what? I'd love to have some practical workshops like CPR, first aid, search and rescue, survival training, and all that stuff. I really would. I love that stuff because some of it might help and other aspects of it are just fun to know. I live in an urban environment so teaching me to survive in the wilderness isn't exactly speaking to my needs, but I'm not going to gripe and moan about it because I could probably still learn something from it.
I can't take McBride seriously. His opinions are his and he's entitled to them, but they carry no weight with me.
