Do College Students Hate Free Speech? Let's Ask Them.
Posted by CircuitGuy 8 years, 4 months ago to Education
This video made me think about the post about students signing a petition to repeal the First Ammendemnt: https://www.galtsgulchonline.com/post...
I first realized this problem is serious a few months ago with this post: https://www.galtsgulchonline.com/post...
But how bad is the probem? The video linked in this post shows students put on the spot with questions about protecting unpopular speech. They make some troubling statements about prohibiting unpopular speech, but we also see them clearly supporting free speech in principle. It seems they're struggling with what's unpopular speech and what veers into threats or incitement to riot. This problem is as old as the First Amendment itself.
Most troubling to me was the confusion of “wrong” and “should be allowed”. I wished the interviewer had probed more on their opinions about when factually incorrect statements should be allowed/prohibited.
I was confused by the students who said free speech in practice is free only to the powerful. What? I was expecting them to say next “if only there were some networking protocol allowing average people could share their ideas with anyone in the world...”
Conclusion: I see a serious problem but am optimistic that difficulty accepting the right to unpopular speech is normal. This new generation's difficulty with it is just the latest incarnation of the struggle. We have to keep up the difficult work of protecting it.
I first realized this problem is serious a few months ago with this post: https://www.galtsgulchonline.com/post...
But how bad is the probem? The video linked in this post shows students put on the spot with questions about protecting unpopular speech. They make some troubling statements about prohibiting unpopular speech, but we also see them clearly supporting free speech in principle. It seems they're struggling with what's unpopular speech and what veers into threats or incitement to riot. This problem is as old as the First Amendment itself.
Most troubling to me was the confusion of “wrong” and “should be allowed”. I wished the interviewer had probed more on their opinions about when factually incorrect statements should be allowed/prohibited.
I was confused by the students who said free speech in practice is free only to the powerful. What? I was expecting them to say next “if only there were some networking protocol allowing average people could share their ideas with anyone in the world...”
Conclusion: I see a serious problem but am optimistic that difficulty accepting the right to unpopular speech is normal. This new generation's difficulty with it is just the latest incarnation of the struggle. We have to keep up the difficult work of protecting it.
SOURCE URL: https://youtu.be/i_4-BqSIUD8
They are saying: free speech is fine unless its coming from someone who disagrees with what I believe.
One says its good unless it is racist or trying to stir up racism. Guess he never considered the racism of "black lives matter." Of course the obviously non-racist black girl says that its wrong and offensive for anyone to say 'all lives matter' because that 'appropriates the statement' ...which was specifically "created" to judges all whites as more guilty of racism than blacks. Of course, 'black lives matter' couldn't possibly be offensive because it only offends whites. So, blacks have free speech, but whites should not.
The girl interviewed who was said to lead the protests against offensive speech says that hate speech is "intimately linked to violence on people of color". This is complete rubbish with absolutely no evidence, nothing to support her lying projectile vomitus.
It would be revealing to look at the specific background of the people being interviewed and their actions in the past. Oh, but that would be offensive to them, even though they apparently love the idea of a secret database being kept of complaints from people who are offended.
Guess they missed the classes on the Nazi SS and what they did to Jews using such comments from those offended by Jews.
I would also like to see the interviews that were omitted from this video. Who watches the watchers?
imo the people who are getting attention here are guilty of the things they protest about. They are serving those who destroy justice.
btw, the cost of atttending Occidental College is $63,000 for 2015-16 alone.
http://www.oxy.edu/admission-aid/costs
Any parents stupid enough to send their child to Occidental deserves to get a drone that doesn't know the difference between an opinion and a hate crime.
It's natural for people to support free speech in principle but not upsetting or unpopular speech. This is why the right is protected and not put up to a popular vote. The same is true for gun rights and the other rights in the Constitution.
I find what they're saying troubling, but I don't see it as a shocking new development.
"I would also like to see the interviews that were omitted from this video. Who watches the watchers?"
I had a thought about that too, but I figure since ReasonTV is a libertarian outlet they have no reason to understate the problem.