Talking About Free Speech on College Campuses (Pun Intended) . . .
For this journal entry, first visit the website for an organization that I greatly value (and have been a charter member for many years) called the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education ( F.I.R.E.) @ www.thefire.orgLinks to an external site.
The mission of F.I.R.E. is to protect First Amendment (Constitutional) rights of students and faculty on college and university campuses throughout the country against political correctness, speech codes, censorship, and other (hostile) acts of depriving individuals of their guaranteed right to freedom of thought/conscience and expression at places that should theoretically be the last places on earth to ever try taking them away (at least that is how higher education was viewed when I was a student). More specifically. . . go to the media gallery and view the following videos:
- Censorship and Unlearning Liberty (Greg Lukianoff, Current President of F.I.R.E.)
- College Students Think Freedom of Speech is Not a Big Deal
- Do College Students Hate Free Speech?
- Who’s Too Weak to Live with Freedom? Professor Alan Kors (Co-Founder of F.I.R.E.)
- The Harvard Bait & Switch: Harvey Silverglate (Co-Founder of F.I.R.E.)
Now, picking up on the titles of the second and third videos, I’m asking you–as a college student–what think you of free speech on college and university campuses? How important is this concept to you? Are you aware of the long history, until quite recently, of first amendment rights once being highly valued in higher education? Are you aware of the new attacks on such freedoms? Do you believe that an allowance of unpopular views (even downright ugly views) somehow translates into a blessing of such views by a college or university that happens to allow them? Do you believe “hate” speech should be protected speech? Your response (your comments and references/examples) should clearly demonstrate that you have viewed all FIVE of the videos above–especially the three from FIRE.