We have been discussing how colleges and universities are expanding the range of micro aggressions and hostile or hate speech to troubling levels in terms of free speech and associational rights. Now the expression of political views in the presidential election has been added to speech that students have declared threatening. Someone at Emory chalked the name of Republican candidate Donald Trump around campus. Nothing unusual about that. Students often chalk up statements on sidewalks for causes or candidates. It would not be seen as in any way unusual and the next rain brings a clean slate. However, the statement of support for Trump has led to a protest calling for the supporter to be punished or expelled and for the President to express condemnation of such political affiliations. The students want a statement of support for Trump to be treated as the same as the writing of a swastika. The students have said that they feel threatened in the wake of the statements of political support for Trump.
Students organized immediately after seeing the statements of support and had a meeting with Emory President James W. Wagner to demand action. Students demanded to know “Why did the swastikas [on the AEPi house in Fall 2014] receive a quick response while these chalkings did not?” They were not happy when Wagner reportedly responded that that was a case of an outside threat. The questions reportedly became more pointed like “What do we have to do for you to listen to us?” One student demanded that Emory send out a University-wide email to “decry the support for this fascist, racist candidate.” To his credit, Wagner refused to denounce a presidential candidate. The students then demanded diversity hires into the “higher positions” of the University, including the Board of Trustees and the faculty in general.
What was particularly chilling is the demand for action on faculty members who have not publicly denounced Trump or his views under the view that “[Faculty] are supporting this rhetoric by not ending it.” This failure, the students insisted, have created a threatening environment and that “people of color are struggling academically because they are so focused on trying to have a safe community and focus on these issues [related to having safe spaces on campus].”
Wagner is reportedly preparing an email and has launched an investigation to find the culprit. University police are looking at security cameras. What will they do if they find some student with the incriminating chalk? Will she or he be expelled or disciplined or publicly denounced?
I have some obvious concerns about such action. My primary concern is whether this is the truly the first time in the history of Emory University that students or faculty made political statements on sidewalks. I doubt it. Would the same effort to hunt down the writers occur if the writing referred to Sanders or Black Lives Matter or Greenpeace? If not, this would seem a content-based effort that raises serious issues of free speech. Moreover, the expectation of some of these students that faculty should be pushed to denounce Trump like some Pol Pot reeducation camp is chilling.
I have written previously how free speech is under attack in the West and we appear to be raising one of the most anti-free speech generations in the history of our country. In the name of “tolerance,” we are treating free speech as the scourge of society and a right that must be carefully controlled to “protect” others. These students believe that political views are now within the gambit of threatening speech. We have come full circle from the sixties where baby boomers discovered political and social activism on campuses — a time of great upheaval but also great exploration. However now that students and staff are embracing a conservative, the desire is to have official condemnations and investigations. Trump has clearly generated both great support and great opposition. His views, however, (particularly on immigration) are shared by millions of citizens. Indeed, those same views are prevailing in part of Europe. This is a wonderful opportunity to have a passionate and substantive debate. Why not let all political flowers bloom on campuses? Rather than immediately seek to silence those with countervailing views, the first inclination should be to engage in the debate and value the exchange of ideas.
Before Wagner takes action, the faculty should at a minimum ask for the university to address how it has previously addressed chalk art and political statements. If all chalking is now going to be treated as an offense, will the university be distinguishing art but not political art? The problem with chalk crimes is, forgive the pun, drawing lines on what is prohibited or permitted speech.
What do you think?
Source: Emory Wheel
Wonder how much zero tolerance policies as practiced in K-12 have to do with all this?
I can’t help but think that these students would be better served by focusing on their studies rather than attempting activist aggression against the administration. If they truly feel uncomfortable with Emory and its campus, there are plenty of other colleges around that they may feel more comfortable with. Of course, these students may consider as an alternative to increase their conception of tolerance towards those who may not share their particular socio-political views, i.e., attempt to be more liberal in the classical sense…
I think what we’re seeing with the Trump phenomenon is revenge of white people. And I think everyone knows it but no one is saying it out loud. And Trump’s campaign is a brilliant strategy to take back America without having to say this out loud. Even NBC’s political strategist, Chuck Todd, is elated about Trump, perhaps positioning himself to be the next White House press secretary for Trump, something Trump himself wouldn’t be against selecting a Democrat into his inner circle, another brilliant nose thumb and way to let the air out of the arrogant lefties in the media.
America elected an outsider to the White House and that didn’t work out very well. It’s as absurd as if Britain had somehow managed to put an outsider king or queen into Buckingham Palace.
Not only that, everything about all this affirmative action and multiculturalism is just plain non workable. It’s why there are over 200 countries in the world. Different people do not want to comingle. They want to retain their culture, their historical identity, their religion, their views, their everything. In other words, if somoene from Cuba (or wherever) wants to be president as a Cuban, he or she should move to Cuba and run for office there. Otherwise, he or she should adopt American values, the same as all of us who are descendants of immigrants who have come here from other countries and then melded into one people who believe in our Constitution and Bill of Rights.
I’m so fed up with all of the special interests that have sprouted up like weeds across this nation. Even Hollywood minorities, who are earning tens of millions, are now complaining because they aren’t getting Oscar nominations. If they directed their energy into learning how to act better for the screen, rather than wasting their energy on affirmative action for Hollywood, they might actually earn an Oscar. That’s how Sidney Portier did it anyway.
Where will all this end? Will the Trump campaign end up as a huge brush fire to exterminate all these weeds that have taken root as political correctness and anti-white fervor? I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Trump, who grew up in the cultural revolution of the sixties, rejected the sex, drugs, and rock and roll in favor of actually working hard and getting ahead and maintaining his health, and is now well positioned to finally drive a wooden stake through the horrible social and economic experiments that began in the sixties. Seattle’s tent city for the homeless is far larger than Joe Arpaio’s tent city for inmates. If Trump is elected president, I think within a matter of months we will be seeing a gradual reversing of all of these negative trends that have been swamping this land from coast to coast. And if Trump can actually accomplish what he’s promising, there’s going to be an awful lot of people who will have to just shut up while the majority and middle class enjoy the prosperity — the way it once was.
Personally, I’m so dissatisfied with politics now, I don’t care if there’s prosperity or implosion.
vine – the House of Windsor is actually German. They changed to the House of Windsor during WWI. There hasn’t been a Celtic monarch for a long time.
I am no Trump fan.
But I think the best response to those who are afraid, in the absence of any creditable threat of violence, is an offer of mental health counseling and maybe some Prozac.
The proper response to objectionable speech is more speech.
If you don’t like Trump then get out there and offer support for your favorite candidate.
It’s rare to find anyone, of any party, who does not view the world, and justice, through political glasses.
This thread needs a tune. “Telstar” …..Who can tell? Tell me more.
All that matters to this generation is how they feel. A professor justified physically assay;ting 2 young women because their statements made her feel upset. A communications professor justified trying to get some “muscle” to physically assault a journalism student for covering a public protest because she felt upset.
The college threatening a student for free speech is not a micro aggression. It is a real and present threat to the student’s scholastic and career future, as well as his or her safety. College campuses are increasingly become hostile and in some cases, unsafe, if you voice conservative opinions.
They are threatening students and creating a hostile environment because of political discrimination.
In order to be fair, every student who campaigns for Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Hillary, Bernie, or the Green Party, makes any political statement for or against Conservatives, Liberals, et al, should be expelled.
That should put an end to this absurdity.
We are watching the death of Free Speech and intellectualism in universities.
@Karen S
I easily found 2 law review articles advocating the adoption of hate speech laws in the US on the theory of “combating the badges and incidents of slavery”.
Professor Turley is a rarity among liberals in his fair and uniform advocacy of free speech.
@ Squeeky
It’s hopeless.
This denial of free speech rights to the students who chalked support for Trump is unconstitutional. This is another example of a generation who want to criminalize speech that they don’t agree with.
@PaulCS
I think “Black Lives Matter” is more silly than Racissss! Apparently the lives of blacks don’t matter at all if Black Person A owes Black Person B money for drugs. That’s pop a cap time! The lives of black babies don’t matter to black women and black men, who can’t even bother to get married. Heck, black lives don’t even matter more than a piece of fried chicken!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypqyNoF9vLo
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
@squeeky fromm
Black lives matter only if killed by a white person or a police officer.
I would recommend anyone interested in crime statistics to google ‘the color of crime’ report from the new century foundation. Pdf is free to download.
@JT
And the hits just keep coming! From LAW PROFESSORS, no less!
American Univ. profs: saying ‘all lives matter’ is ‘white supremacy’
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Squeeky – Is it just me or is ‘Black Lives Matter’ inherently racist? And anyone who supports this phrase is also inherently racist?
@JR
That was a fantastic article!!! Thanks for the link!!! Here is an interesting blurb from it:
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
JT……whoa….I just reread your note.
“We have come full circle from the sixties where baby boomers discovered political and social activism on campuses — a time of great upheaval but also great exploration.”
Did you actually attend a college in the 60s? A “great” exploration? What did you do? Follow TL’s “turn on and drop out?” Man you were on a real trip if you call those times a “great” exploration.
It was agony. A time when so many people were trying to escape or evade. A time of betrayal … the Boomers, growing up with duck and cover then faced the reality of the Missles of October in 62, the assassinations in 63 and 68, Chicago 68 is another symbol of that pain with the hangings, torchings, and mutilations of freedom riders thrown in. And the meat grinder of the ten yrs in Southeast Asia.
The boomers are not a monolithic block as many portray. Look closely ….we are very binary and at war with each other. The problem is succinctly caught in the statement, “they revolted from,; they didn’t revolt to.” There is no middle ground either.
Boomers inherited the civil rights movement from those who fought WWII and Korea. We didn’t organize it, but we learned to use it to our advantage. Our kids are now parents who grew up in a near void of parenting. And, their kids are now attending colleges run by our kids. Now there are grand numbers of really good people out there, but it’s the leadership that is at issue.
Again, there is no middle ground and the “no man’s land” region is growing.
@renegade
The centre cannot hold!
___ William Butler Yeats
(commenting on the 1916 Easter Revolt)
When the adult population is so apathetic about their own freedoms and the constitutional rule of law – in such a national crisis – we only have the next generation to fix it. If young people are indoctrinated to accept arbitrary (and unconstitutional) rules from their colleges, how will they vote after college?
If the next generation of young people are as equally apathetic as their adult parents, teachers and professors – the American “constitutional democratic republic” has indeed died with a whimper.
James Madison’s model of government would be completely dead if this continues at our universities. Congress should be mandating civics education in such an irreversible crisis.
I thought we already won this battle during the 1960’s. Apparently not.
This wonderful article by NYU professor Jonathan Haidt and Foundation for Individual Rights in Education president Greg Lukianoff explains quite a bit and is well worth a read.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-coddling-of-the-american-mind/399356/
@JT
yes, Wagner did send out an email, and here it is:
He just have just told the idiots to pound sand.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
“What do we have to do for you to listen to us?”
Perhaps say something sensible, and see what happens.
This is a result of all the “demonization” that the Liberals have been doing for decades. Why be surprised that there is a lack of “rationality” in all this? When is the last time Liberals did anything except call anyone who disagrees with them, Racissss! or Homophobe! or Sexist! When discussion and argumentation is replaced by name-calling and sound bites, this kind of stuff is what you get.
And, FWIW, why should the Democratic Party leadership object to this kind of silliness? As long as the kids don’t think, they’ll vote Democratic!
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
I would be embarrassed to be going to college today. Thank the Good Lord my son is choosing technical school, will be done sooner than those in college and will be earning a better wage than my college degree has ever earned me.