There is an intense controversy at Tulane University (where I began my teaching career) in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Kappa Alpha fraternity members built a wall made of sandbags with the message “Make America Great Again” and “Trump” plastered across it on their off-campus house. What is astonishing is that university groups and members have rallied to support alleged members of the football team who tore down the wall in a denial of free speech and an act of trespass.
It appears that the building of a wall is the local chapter’s annual tradition before its “Old South” formal ball. This time the students added the language as either a joke or implied support but student groups denounced the language as “filled with connotations of hate and ignorance.” Even if this were serious support for Trump, that is not hate speech. It would be pure political speech — just as students are free to support Bernie Sanders, as many do.
On the video below, student appear to be tearing down the wall and tossing the sandbags into the street as frat members object that “this is private property.” Students like Ana De Santiago seemed to miss the point of violently preventing the speech of other students because you disagree with them. She insisted that “By writing Trump in large, red letters across the ‘wall,’ . . . KA changed what was a tradition of building a wall into a tradition of constructing a border, symbolizing separation and xenophobia.” Or they could simply be supporting Trump and his view of immigration reform. I doubt seriously that De Santiago would take kindly to the frat tearing down signs in support of her presidential candidate or immigration policies.
The hypocritical position of these students reflects the growing intolerance for free speech on our campuses. These students believe that they have a right, even an obligation, to silence students with opposing views.
University spokesman Mike Strecker said frat members used Trump’s name and slogan as satire. But it really does not matter. The University should be investigating the students who engaged in a violent act to stop the speech of other students . . . whether satire or serious. Moreover, the University seemed to blame the students for engaging in free speech, saying that while it encourages the “free exchange of ideas and opinions”, the local chapter’s actions “sparked a visceral reaction in the context of a very heated and divisive political season.” That does not appear very supportive of free speech to blame the victims of an attack on free speech. Students and faculty are allowed to “spark a visceral reaction in the context of a very heated and divisive political season.” Indeed, we should want passionate debate on the candidates and their ideas. It was the students tearing down the wall who were bringing violence and intolerance to the debate. They should be the focus of the ire of the university.
By the way, Trump won Louisiana.
What do you think?
If the frat doesn’t call the police and press charges, they have no one to blame but themselves. Even if the D.A. let’s the trespassers off with a slap on the wrist because they’re black and football layers, at least the frat will have made clear that they won’t let themselves be walked on.
Tin – unless the football coach ordered the players to do this, he needs to step up and punish them.
“Free Speech for Me; but not for Thee” is the watchword on both sides of the political divide.
Republican candidates, not Republicans candidates.
The Left has become increasingly fascist, and the behavior is accepted and condoned by the rest of society with a wink and a nod. Yesterday, I happened to see some footage that had been shot near the location where the Republicans candidates were going to speak. Some members of the lunatic Left, were, quite literally, hanging a large replica of Trump, in the streets of New York. No one even batted an eye. Most of you, I am sure, never heard about it or saw it. It wasn’t newsworthy. Now, imagine, if you will, that Hillary or Bernie, or, God forbid, Obama, had been chosen for the same treatment by conservatives, to hang in the streets of New York. It would’ve been front page news, with the expected cries of intolerance, bigotry and facism from the Left, who are, in fact, the true fascists.
Neither the protesters nor the university support the Constitution which guarantees the right of free speech.
Here’s the real reason this country is fascist. The members of our society do not honor a set of deeply held principles. Instead, too many citizens are members of team red or team blue. If their team engages in a behavior it is correct. If the other team engages in the same behavior it is wrong.
Unless the people of this nation decide they really do have a set of principles that they are willing to stand up for, we will sink further into fascism. Fascism thrives because people aren’t ethical. Too many people will give up important values in the name of winning or because they want to support their political team. This willingness to suspend thought and ethics makes people easy picking for propagandists and for phony candidates. It will be the ultimate cause of this nation descending into totalitarianism with neighbor turning against neighbor. If we don’t want this hideous future, it’s time to stop, think and act of of deep ethical reasoning.
All this hysteria, PC, and intolerance for opposing views is what has fueled the Trump campaign. More than anything else, all these PC and free speech violations are STUPID if these fascists goal is to stop Trump. They are helping him w/ every STUPID act like this.
Professor, just a quick observation. While I heartedly support your strong defense of free speech, please note that the comments are increasingly coming from the right and, occasionally really out of the mainstream. You are in danger of becoming a spokesperson for the extreme right. Please don’t go there.
dave – JT rarely reads the columns.
Would these frat boys have been better off publishing a statement in the school newspaper explaining their point of view? Oh I forgot this may not be published out of political correctness. I am not for a wall either. I do feel that our border patrol people should be able to do their jobs as effectively as possible. If the frat boys wanted to I believe that they could give some other people on campus some legal problems. Quite a few of us in this country have left moderate points of view and moved to extremes in our thinking. God bless America!
Donald Trump is not racist or xenophobic.
He simply wants a wall to keep out the criminal elements crossing from Mexico to the USA. He wants “legal” immigration and not illegal immigration. Mexico doesn’t let criminal elements nor illegal immigrants into their country. Yet, we are we racist, for wanting the same things in America.
Donald Trump has one of the greatest employment percentages of Hispanics, Blacks or legal immigrants in the country, but he’s a racist?
These are obviously low information voters because if they did their own research, they would find that Trump hires more minorities than any American company besides the government and around the world.
Their worried that Donald Trump won’t kiss their arse and let them get away with constantly hammering non-black society for what they perceive as racism.
There are no black slaves in the modern world except in Africa and the Middle East.
They have the same rights as all men in the US. They want to obliterate American history and historical monuments because of what they perceive are racist.
Yet they expect whites to believe their contrived lies like “hands up – don’t shoot” mantra and others. If you don’t believe the lies, your racist aka Tawana Brawley debacle.
They’ve lied so much about their supposed indignations, that it makes me wonder what else they’ve lied about in their history.
Donald Trump will give zero credence to their fake indignities and lies, and that scares them. The more they destroy and act like a bunch of racists, the more Trumps numbers improve.
The American people cannot be blamed for wanting a man, that these people’s actions and Obama, pushed to the forefront of American politics. They created the support for Trump and they will certainly be the reason Trump wins the presidency.
Sounds like a case of criminal trespass and possibly destruction of property. The have the perpetrators on video. Time for the police and prosecutes to do their job. Hey, and since it was done it reaction to the supposed beliefs of the victims additional penalties should be imposed for a hate crime.
I agree, it is a hate crime.
This is the year the American people learned the primaries were rigged.
“it was the black students objections to the frat’s symbolism.”
Horsehockey.
Obfuscation.
The frat and its symbolism existed before the Trump wall, but they only responded to the Trump wall.
SJWs always lie.
KA is a frat that reveres the “Old South” and uses confederate symbols, flags, and uniforms in their Old South Formal. This wasn’t about Trump, it was the black students objections to the frat’s symbolism.
I think the true joke that everyone is missing here is the Tulane football team. 57-124 over the last 15 seasons.
It would be nice if they put that much effort into winning.
Young fascists with voting rights.
Typical liberal fascism in action.
Lefties are completely tolerant, as long as you believe what they say to believe.
Louisiana RS 14:225 — Institutional vandalism Law
§225. Institutional vandalism
A. A person commits the crime of institutional vandalism by knowingly vandalizing, defacing, or otherwise damaging the following:
(1) Any church, synagogue, or other building, structure, or place used for religious worship or other religious purpose.
(2) Any cemetery, mortuary, or other facility used for the purpose of burial or memorializing the dead.
(3) Any school, educational facility, or community center.
(4) The grounds adjacent to and owned or rented by any institution, facility, building, structure, or place described in Paragraphs (1), (2) or (3) above.
(5) Any personal property contained in any institution, facility, building, structure, or place described in Paragraphs (1), (2), or (3) above.
(6) Any building owned by the United States, state of Louisiana, or a political subdivision of this state.
B. Institutional vandalism is punishable as follows:
(1) When the damage is less than five hundred dollars, the offender shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars, or imprisoned for not more than six months, or both.
(2) When the damage amounts to five hundred dollars but less than fifty thousand dollars, the offender shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars, or imprisoned, with or without hard labor, for not more than two years or both.
(3) When the damage amounts to fifty thousand dollars or more, the offender shall be fined not more than ten thousand dollars, or imprisoned, with or without hard labor, for not less than one nor more than ten years, or both.
C. In determining the amount of damage to or loss of property, damage includes the cost of repair or replacement of the property that was damaged or lost.
Should have reserved their actions to “speech” by urinating on it. All would be good and lessons learned.
That school is worthy of a Tinker Tour. Do you folks recall the case of Tinker v. Bd of Education of Des Moines, Iowa? It has been a while. But the kids who were plaintiffs are now adults in their sixties and take their message around the country on the Tinker Tour. What the frat boys down in LA should do is wear black armbands which say: Impeach The Provost! or some such and put the schmuck’s name on there. They need to go to the state legislature and demand free speech rights. Perhaps they should ask in French. Or Gator. Or Cajun.
The football team is racist. That is the bigger picture here.