A recent topic that's come up quite frequently is this idea of safe spaces. Or, rather, university and college attempts to protect students from microaggressions and harassment by creating a learning environment in which speech and opinions are controlled in order to avoid intolerance and bigotry.
At first glance, it seems like a well enough idea, but when you dig deeper you come to realize that such an idea begins to infringe on one very important American ideal: freedom of speech.
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Now before I begin, I want to make it known that I'm not some sort of right winged conservative making the same arguments you've all heard before. In fact, I'm a pretty progressive liberal, who believes staunchly in minority rights and equality for all. But that is exactly why I have such an issue with the safe space motion for controlled speech.
You see, freedom of speech doesn't just pertain to the speech you want to hear, but that which you don't as well. That's the trade off. Rights for one equals rights for all. For every non-profit, humanitarian, and social activist in this country who has the right to stand up against tyranny and injustice and speak their mind freely, there are bigots and hate groups who hold just as much of a right to speak theirs.
Now this is not to say I agree in any sort of way with what is said by such hate groups, nor does this apply to those said bigots and dogmatist groups who use their speech to incite violence, for that in itself goes against the bounds of the right to free speech. However, it does entail that these such persons have a right to their beliefs, and to vocalize them, so long as they do not infringe on the rights of others.
Yes, it's uncomfortable, but it's fair, and that is the central idea of democracy at its core.
For imagine a country where our government had the power to pick and choose which groups had beliefs worthy of being spoken, and which ones didn't. Then what's to stop them from deeming any group that questions their authority, that questions their practices unfit for speech. A ruling power who is able to control the people's speech is a slippery slope towards oppression.
So then why does this apply to universities? It has to do with the root purpose of college: to prepare you for the real world. You prepare for a career, for living on your own, for transitioning into adulthood, hence why should you be shielded from discomforting speech when in the real world you won't be?
College-aged individuals are not children, and should not be censored as such.
When you graduate college there will be no safe space to protect you from the bigots down the street, or the offensive coworker in the cubicle next door. You must be ready to handle their remarks, and if warranted, to counter them maturely, not simply run away.
Moreover, freedom of speech shouldn't just stop at the gates of colleges. As a universal right for all American citizens, and as the majority of college students are legally of age to be American official citizens (ages 18 and above), every single student should be guaranteed the right to free speech, no matter how displeasing that speech may be to the school as a whole.
In addition, I believe that by not censoring the speech of others with more controversial ideas than our own, we begin to have an open dialogue that allows for an environment of understanding. By simply telling racist, sexist, homophobic, bigoted students not to say their beliefs, not only will those said beliefs remain intact and go unchallenged, but they will begin to build a resentment for being stifled that will then feed into and strengthen those such beliefs.
By putting everyone's ideas out in the open, both perspectives begin to see the root of each other's views. Students can challenge one another's beliefs, they can gain insightful information on the way others think, and in turn reformulate their opinions or become more sympathetic towards the causes and motivations that prompt others to believe what they do.
Take it from me, a liberal who grew up in a rural conservative community, that by being so heavily exposed to the ideas and opinions of those opposed to my own, I not only gained a better understanding of what drives them to value what they do, but was able to appeal to them as to why I hold high the ideals important to me, in turn, allowing for thought-provoking discussions to take place that have helped shape my understanding of the world today.
Safe spaces might seem like a good idea, but I'd rather confront the prejudice and discrimination that goes on in this world head on than hide it away from of view. For in truth, intolerance will only grow if you choose to suppress it.
