College students are learning all the wrong lessons about free speech on campus
Millions of young Americans attend college to get their bachelor’s or master’s degrees or even a Ph.D. Universities were once a place where people could enrich themselves with knowledge and, most importantly, debate the prevalent ideas of the time. It was a place of civil dialogue and personal growth, and a place well-respected.
Today, unfortunately, many universities have created an environment of hostility against ideas that are not popular. They’ve become an echo chamber for mob rule as a result.
Rather than learning to tolerate other people’s perspectives and embrace freedom of speech, many students are learning to shut down any person or group that disagrees with their leftwing viewpoint.
Just recently, there was a massive protest against Jeff Younger, a state House candidate, speaking to a conservative club at the University of North Texas in Denton. Protesters did not show any sign of wanting to have a meaningful dialogue. Instead, they decided to flood the room and make a disturbance.
They yelled, using vulgar language, and at times screamed and made disruptive chants. Younger needed security protection during his visit because of threats against him.
You also had protests rock the University of Texas at Arlington over uncovered messages from the student body president and chief of staff. They reportedly joked about Caitlyn Jenner being a man and criticized a George Floyd statue and other comments, leading to their impeachment and removal from office for “offensive comments” and for their religious beliefs.
Another recent event involved a University of Buffalo protest against retired Army Lt. Col. Allen West, the former Texas Republican Party chairman invited to discuss whether America is racist. Protesters forced the event to end early, kicking the door and yelling, “We want West!”
Afterward, West was quoted on Fox News saying: “Here I am having to be escorted off a university campus and being screamed at by Black students who still want to talk about how they’re oppressed. How does their behavior solve anything?”
We’ve seen destruction of property on campuses where students didn’t want conservative speakers, such as 2017, when $100,000 dollars worth of damage was done at the University of California, Berkeley during protests in advance of a Milo Yianoppolous appearance. Nine people were arrested, several on charges of having banned weapons, at a 2017 Berkeley appearance by conservative writer Ben Shapiro.
Unfortunately, young leaders are developing with the idea that it is OK to shut down any discussion that is offensive to them. A healthy democratic society is one in which you hear from people you disagree with or those saying things that you don’t like.
If, as in the case of Younger, you disagree with a speaker’s views on transgender treatment for young children, you should have a civil conversation about it. Hitting doors and tables or threatening speakers who disagree with you does not get us anywhere. Frankly, it further divides the left and right regarding dialogue and civility.
Freedom of speech is the bedrock of American public life. It allowed for so much change to happen in our great nation. As we create future leaders, it’s essential to focus on how this right built this country in the first place and to know why so many people worldwide want to come to this land.
Cherish it and protect it at all costs — even if it means supporting someone’s right to say something you disagree with.
Clarification: This column has been updated to reflect the writer’s activity leading protests against Fort Worth ISD and leading a conservative student group.
This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 7:04 AM.