Academia, Free Speech, Society

Stanford Students Attempt To Silence Another Conservative Speaker In Latest Attack On Free Speech

The fight over free speech on campuses has again erupted in California where a speech by conservative author Ben Shapiro triggered demands that he be barred from campus. The doublespeak used to justify the denial of free speech is particularly chilling. The students insisted that allowing people to hear Shapiro put them at risk: “WE are tired of Stanford Administration’s complicity in putting Black, Brown, Trans, Queer, and Muslim students at risk by allowing SCR to bring Ben Shapiro to campus” On the other side, editors have called his flier anti-Semitic. While these students are intolerant and anti-free speech, but I do not believe that they intended any anti-Semitic message from using this image.

As “The Coalition of Concerned Students” wrote an op-ed in The Stanford Daily calling the speech by Shapiro an example of “another year of white supremacy, xenophobia and bigotry on Stanford’s campus.” The students declared their commitment not “to allow Shapiro’s talk to go uninterrupted.” In other words, we will not allow other students and faculty listen and have a discourse with Shapiro.

What is striking is how these students believe that denying free speech is a noble act — a view fueled by many faculty members who treat speech as violence or a tool of oppression. That makes being a censor sound like being a civil libertarian. You simply declare, as did the Stanford students, that this is a “harmful event” with “harmful people.” Done.

Conversely, Shapiro denounced the flier with the phrase “Ben B Gon” as anti-Semitic. Given that Shapiro is “a devout and outspoken Jew, the editorial board of The Stanford Review denounced the flier as insensitive and “a play on anti-Semitic tropes about extermination.” The group did send an email apologizing for the flyer. However, the group succeeded in interrupting the event by screaming and protesting to prevent Shapiro from being heard at points. This will continue so long as university officials refuse to take action against students to stop classes or school events.

I would have been more encouraged for an apology for seeking to silence those with opposing views. However, the rhetoric of these anti-free speech students is rising with their numbers. It is now fashionable to be against free speech. You just declare others to be “harmful people” with harmful ideas and insist on their silence.

78 thoughts on “Stanford Students Attempt To Silence Another Conservative Speaker In Latest Attack On Free Speech”

  2. Medea Benjamin of codepink was harmed by pro coup narco fake govt., Juan Guano’s forces, whom DWS is supporting.  This happened as Medea was protesting DWS’s talk without any violence whatsoever.  Police were sent to arrest Medea at her home.  Lots of them.  No warrant and apparently police footage did not agree with DWS’s lies.  

    The govt. does not like people who do not believe their lies about Venezuela and the many other right wing, Nazi/narco people that our govt. chooses for other govts. as their “leaders”.  They have already made a false arrest of Max Blumenthal, a journalist, who also did nothing wrong.  
    This is what a police state looks like.  This is what people with power in a govt. can do to stop free speech. 

    Jack Boots are already on the ground.  Don’t stay silent about this.  It really doesn’t matter how much you love Trump, how much you love a narco fraud like Juan Guano or how much you hate Venezuela’s Maduro.  This is about the right of free speech and having the full faith and credit of the USGinc. brought to bear against you should you be speaking out of turn.

    Codepink has more information and video footage. 

  3. Snowfakes to the right of me and snowfakes to the left… here I am stuck in the middle with……. my snowfake plow?

    1. Fish rot from the head down. Scandalous these institutions are considered our best. Gimme a kid from a community college with an inquisitive mind over these radical drone producers.

    1. This professor doesn’t have kids. I don’t have them either, but I know when I’m dealing with the adult version of a child, enough to say conversation over and walk away…as this professor should have done.

      You tell the students come line up at my office and I will have a 1 on 1 with each and every one of you with 2 other administrators or supervisors present.

      Poor guy.

  6. Well the good news is that a professor at Harvard Business school now predicts that about 50% of four year colleges will close within 10-15 years given their declining enrollments, antiquated business models and, in my view, antipathy engendering public positions. Yet more proof of going broke getting woke. Sort of like the pedophile protecting mass media. Gotta love the market.

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelhorn/2018/12/13/will-half-of-all-colleges-really-close-in-the-next-decade/#4f5f9f8d52e5

  7. As I always say, if you have time to protest, you have too much time on your hands. And if you don’t have too much time on your hands, you’re devoting your energy which is finite to the wrong things.

    But again, these may be young adults, but really, I mean really, they’re old children. I’m looking around the room.

    There is a stark contrast between a 25 yo and an 18 yo. Avg college student is 18 to 22 yo, with exceptions and outliers.

    So, they’re kids!!! But legally adults. And yet, medically, not with a fully developed brain.

    Nonetheless, in college, you do have extra time, apparently this is where they want their energy to go.

    I think there are some good decent ppl on both sides, just different opinions, that’s all.

    At least no one is being violent. I tip my hat to that.

    Yell all you want, but please, don’t throw a punch.

    1. My parents and grandparents were married by that age. People go to war at that age, where they must be relied upon in terrifying circumstances.

      My 9 year old is more mature and far more polite than these adults in universities with emperor complexes.

      Maturity comes late, if at all, to those who are taught from childhood that the world must conform to protect their own precious, sensitive feelings, but they are free to hurt other people. Entitlement on steroids.

  8. What is the name of the school referenced here? Went in dumb, come out dumb too. Hustling round Atlanta in their alligator she’s. They are keeping the Jews down.
    I say shoot first and ask questions on that campus never.

  9. Woke scolds who have no idea what they’re talking about, or any concept of personal liberty, harass others and pretend it’s heroic.

Comments are closed.