We have been discussing the rollback of free speech on university and college campuses, particularly when it comes to conservatives or right-to-life advocates. As discussed recently, conservative speaker Milo Yiannopoulous has been the target of some of the most egregious effort to silence certain speakers and prevent other students from hearing opposing views. The latest such protest was held at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). After protesters blocked fellow students and faculty from entering to hear Yiannopoulous, campus police found an alternative avenue for the audience. However, a bomb threat was later called in and the room cleared by police. Once again, there does not appear to be outrage at the effort of students to block access to such speeches for other students and the denial of free speech on campus. I have no problem with protests but preventing speakers from being heard runs against the core values of an academic community.
Protesters held feminist signs and hung a large sign reading “Bruins Against Hate.” Given the blocking of other students, it appears that these Bruins also hate free speech. Hundreds of students and faculty were forced to find a different way to the auditorium and it is not clear why they should be displaced rather than have UCLA security guarantee regular access to such events.
When the event finally began, two feminist protesters proceeded to shout down the event. They were then escorted out (which is still better than the performance at DePaul last week). The event then went on as planned but a bomb threat was received near the end of the event.
The concerted effort to silence opposing views at UCLA is chilling and disgraceful. It is not enough for these students to protest. They have shout down speakers and blocked access to the auditorium. Universities are places for opposing views to be heard and tested — not censored or silenced.
The UCLA killer was a Muslim from India.
Embrace diversity!.
In 10 years there will be bills advocating the prosecution of those who hold the “wrong” opinion on marriage or immigration. Look at this CA bill.
http://em.twtmediagroup.com/tIIH0y0tUE0j200GG10003D
Disgraceful, and ironic that opposition to free speech is now the norm in universities, once the bastion of free speech.
UCLA had a hard day yesterday. Murder suicide where a student shot an engineering professor. The whole university and surrounding schools was on lockdown. People kept calling in (and posting to social media) that there were multiple gunmen still on campus because they did not recognize the armed people as police responding, for some reason.
Olly – I share your concern.
“The right wing has an ugly history of repression”
Atheists are right wing?
Don’t tell Mao, PolPot, Fidel, or Stalin.
Oh all right.
Name one right wing atheist with history of repression.
Here is what I believe is an excellent analyses of how these Leftist Fascist, Muslim loving, Racist Haters became brainwashed idiots.
And hey, the video is funny to boot. 🙂 2.47 minutes
http://www.prisonplanet.com/video-why-social-justice-warriors-are-so-demented.html
I have made the point before, but I shall do so again. Only through repetition can reality have any hope of penetrating the foggy mind. Leftists hate free speech, hate freedom, hate liberty, hate America, and hate Israel. But they are not only haters. They also love some things too. They love authoritarianism, they love Islamoterrorism, they love violence against anyone who criticizes them, and they love misusing the language. They also love to call anyone who holds any opposing view to them “racists,” “bigots,” “Islamophobes,” etc.
Drudge Report & Infowars/PrisonPlanet have been all over this is for years now.
There’s plenty of new info up today.
http://www.infowars.com/matt-drudge-the-death-of-free-speech-is-happening-now/
http://www.infowars.com/citizens-call-for-censorship-put-feelings-ahead-of-rights/
Paul,
It’s not just liberals. The one and only bomb threat we got at a series of law school speakers at U. of Toledo was for an atheist. We all had to leave the auditorium while the bomb sniffing dogs were called in. The right wing has an ugly history of repression and you should not turn away from that history.
It’s more important to understand how people, right or left, come to a point that they believe they may silence others. I agree that the left is quite good at this. It’s also true that the right is quite gifted in that area.
Milo does expose these fascists. So do people like JT, http://www.TheFire.org., etc.
Olly,
I agree.
KCF,
I believe we abandoned the constitution as a guiding document in favor of progressive utilitarianism 100+ years ago. It seems now that we have abandoned any pretense of utilitarianism for fascism. The fact our historically ignorant electorate enabled the rise of this weaponized, administrative state does not give me confidence we have the will to unwind this thing.
I am a long time Republican, converted as I became older to a more liberal worldview and now Democrat. I find that I can no longer discuss policical issues at all because, while as a Republican dicuscussions included varying viewpoints, in the liberal world no such thing is permitted. Views which do not conform to the prevailing position are shouted down and/or met with name calling or ad hominem attack.
This is not limited to colleges. It has been my observation that liberals will never discuss why they oppose a differing opinion, will never offer counter arguement to it, they will merely attempt to prevent that differing opinion from being offered. That is the source of violence at Trump appearances.
I still meet with some of my conservative frinds for lunch, and we have interesting discussions. When I expouse a liberal viewpoint it evokes a discussion of why they feel otherwise (and, of course, no small amount of “Who are you, and what did you do with Bill?”). Some of those reasons strike me as a bit specious, but there is discussion. If I disagree with a liberal I get, at best, told to shut up.
The first thing students need to be taught is that their perceptions may not be accurate. We can advocate for what we think is right but need to remain aware that we also might be wrong. Ignorance is not so much a lack of information, as failing to recognize that much of what we believe to be true, is wrong.
Doglover – ignorance is a lack of factual information, not a misperception. Ignorance is always a lack of factual information. For instance, I am ignorant of car mechanics. Does not make me a bad person.
The problem you are presenting is accepting opinion for fact. That is a real problem.
I keep telling you and telling you: the Constitution is dead.
We are all fascists now.
I find nothing liberal or progressive in the actions of these anti free speech “protesters”. Their actions make it clear that the only speech they will permit is that with which they disagree.
I also disagree with hate speech laws. The way in which one opposed speech with which one disagrees is more speech. Violence or silencing a speaker is wrong.
Are tasers lethal weapons? If not then why not use tasers at USC and UCLA to thwart outrageous women who wish to stop free speech?
Maybe free speech advocates need tasers. Maybe the advocates need to take tasers to the legislature in CA in order to petition their government for redress of grievances.
Maybe free speech people could wear tee shirts which say: Don’t Tase Me Bro!
I have more sympathy for those faculty who as at DePaul (wrongly) support the students who block this speech than the vast numbers of faculty who say and do nothing.
Those cowardly jacka**es (not my department! I’m afraid to speak up!) are silently through omission violate every rule of intellectual honesty, academic freedom, and support for freedom of expression.
The laws against: ‘hate speech’ are as absurd as the idea itself. Moreover, the prohibition is one against thought – for there is implicit here an assumption that one who utters a remark others may find distasteful, harbours ideas that are equally distasteful to those who condemn freedom of expression.
Chilling and disgraceful yet so effective. The left has learned how to lob bombs of discord, dilution of truth and well fed ignorance to render conservatives silent and ineffective in the body politic. And our so-called leaders fret over items like someone’s tax returns or choice of words at a rally. PATHETIC !
If conservative students were doing such things to silence someone from the radical left, it would receive full mainstream media coverage and the perpetrators would be charged with a hate crime.
I dare any liberal on this forum to tell me with a straight face that the United States will not have European style hate speech laws within another 20 years. Politics follows culture, not the other way around.
It has always been important for the Left to shout down or silence opposing views. Nothing will happen to whomever called in the bombscare.