“Gay rights have made us dumber, it’s time to get back in the closet.”
“Martin Luther King Jr., a fraud and degenerate in his life.”
One major cause of debate throughout the past few years has been that of free speech, and the question of this particular right on college campuses. The spark of this recent debate being people like Richard Spencer, and Milo Yiannopoulos being invited to speak at campuses, and eventually getting turned away due to protests, or even riots. The question here is not whether people of different views should be allowed to speak on college campuses. The question is whether people who incite hate and violence should be allowed, and the answer is a resounding “no.”
The fact of the matter is we are in college. People of all different beliefs and backgrounds should be allowed to speak on college campuses. Everyone has a right to an opinion, and as students who are still learning about the world and figuring out how we feel about it, it is of our best interest to be exposed to all we can.
College campuses are not an echo-chamber of liberal rhetoric, as members of the alt-right would like to make you believe; they are institutions of learning, where views are challenged and debated, and opinions strengthened. Higher learning is a privilege in which learning is more of a question than an answer, and everything is thoroughly discussed with open minds and open hearts. Just as long as we’re not exposed to hateful rhetoric and Nazi ideals.
Free speech is defined as “the right to express any opinions without censorship, or restraint.” It is under this umbrella that men, such as Yiannopoulos and Spencer have been allowed to speak on college campuses. However, these people –– the mouthpieces of the alt-right, the hate mongers of anti-feminist ideals- should not be allowed on college campuses to speak.
Logistically and legally, yes, hate speech is technically encompassed in free speech, but college campuses have a right and responsibility to provide a safe place for students to learn. These men are allowed to espouse whatever hateful dialogue they would like, but college campuses are not a place to do so. College is a diverse and safe environment in which to learn, and individuals who are openly sexist, racist, and homophobic do not have a place here.
In a world where Nazis are referred to as “very fine people,” and trans women are murdered at obscenely high rates, it is more important than ever to speak out against people who are inciting hate and violence. It is not a joke. It is not “owning the libs,” to have these people speak at our schools. And it is not simply people getting offended “too easily.” People like Spencer have the ability to embolden those around him with his words. In her book, Inside Organized Racism, sociologist Kathleen Blee found that most people who joined skinhead movements, and other hate groups joined by accident; they simply stumbled in while looking for a community to fit into. Do not give people the opportunity to fall down the wrong path and do not give people the rhetoric to encourage violent action. It is more important than ever to denounce hate.
All in all, I believe that these men should not have a platform on which to speak at all. However, being that everyone is entitled to their opinion and being that social media has allowed everyone a soapbox on which to preach, there is little chance of alt-right public speakers, like Spencer or Yiannopoulos being silenced any time soon. But as long as I have a say and as long as I’m able to voice my opinion, I will continue to advocate for the safety and peace of mind of our students. And I suggest you do the same.
