FIRE Website Analysis

In the debate over the censoring of hate speech, the opponents conclude that hate speech should be censored for peoples ' dignity. On the other side of the debate, the supporters conclude that hate speeches should not be censored on college campuses because it takes away students academic freedom. In this essay, I will conclude that we should not censor hate speech on college campuses. The debate between protection of offensive expression and protection of dignity has been an ongoing issue.

Free speech is the fundamental right, almost assumed as a divine ordinance on humans. Preliminary development of free speech starts at universities. Though considered an integral part of academic institutions and student intellectual growth, in the recent past there is growing intolerance for free speech ‘opinions’ expressed through different mediums. This paper compares two texts, “Free speech is flunking out on college campuses” by Catherine Rampell, and “Restoring free speech on campus” by Geoffrey R. Stone and Will Creeley. This paper argues that any text, without provisioning a counter narrative for the core argument, is lacking in its sense of completeness and ability to pre-resolve reactionary dissent.

FIRE, The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, fights for students and faculty that are censored for their views in college campuses. FIRE defines a speech code as

There are two questions that this court must answer today; First, does Keller’s speech have First Amendment protections? Second, does the University of California, Delphi have the ability to restrict such speech? Keller argues that the university violated his First Amendment rights by attempting to restrict his expression of disfavored views. The university contends that Keller’s actions were disruptive to the learning environment, and thus suspended; not violating his rights to free speech.

Censorship impacts how many people live their lives and what they are allowed to witness; Geoffrey R. Stone and Will Creeley write about the freedom of expression and the abolishment of censorship for college students and universities in “Resorting Free Speech on Campus.” Stone and Creeley effectively use a personal observation, a quote from a prominent individual, the bias technique, and irony in order to convince readers to take their side and agree to abort censorship for college students.

In response to the insanity of the modern American university, Congress is in talks of instituting special protections for free speech on college campuses. Representative Phil Roe M.D. (R., Tenn.) of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce recently introduced a resolution to combat this insanity. His aim is to affirm Congress’ dedication to the upholding of free speech and free expression on American campuses.

Frederick Lawrence is a credible source to address the topic of free speech because throughout his life and career, he has been an advocate for free expression and the civil rights movement. He is a visiting professor of law at the Yale Law School as well as a former president of Brandeis university; he has experience working on a college campus paired with a high understanding and knowledge of free expression. His article is from an educational standpoint that has solid reasoning to support how the challenge of free speech on campuses has never been greater.

Freedom of speech in schools can leave lasting impacts on students’ by helping them grow into mature, young adults. “Colin Kaepernick said, ‘I’m not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color’ … Brandon Marshall, who also has knelt during the national anthem, said, ‘the message is ‘I’m against social injustice’”(Refusing to Stand...). Taking pride in rights is a respectful way to protest and to show maturity. In colleges, many may be following in the footsteps of Colin Kaepernick while others are growing into adults by coming across hate symbols. Liyanga de Silva’s article “banning hate symbols” shows that some schools such as UMD may give students’ the illusion that people who are bigoted do not exist. “A university can not and should not violate students’ rights to free expression, and, as unlikely as it seems, having experiences with hateful people can be important” (Silva). Having experiences can help when students’ are growing into adults because it gives them things to go off of when trying to solve a problem as an adult. Freedom of speech is a way to help students’ face adulthood. Lasting impacts such as getting hurt by hateful people can help while students’ are growing into adults. In adulthood students’ may use past experiences to help themselves.

What is free speech? Does the term ‘free speech’ cover offensive words? Painful ones? Words that disrespect others? What about objectionable, or even wrong beliefs? When is speech illegal? What is exactly meant by free speech? According to Rampell, the term ‘free speech’ includes ‘hate speech’, and is therefore protected by the first amendment (np). This means that even messages we don’t like, agree with, feel uncomfortable about, or even are disgusted by, are legal. Unfortunately, many college students consider harmful words an assault, and some students believe that such verbal attacks can and should be met with violence (French np). Students and speakers today are discriminated against in classrooms and other scenes where free speech and debate should be especially cherished.

This incident sparked a free speech debate on UNL’s campus and among colleges across the country, and made people wonder: what freedoms do students have on

hat is free speech? Does the term ‘free speech’ cover offensive words? Painful ones? Words that disrespect others? What about objectionable, or even wrong beliefs? When is speech illegal? What is exactly meant by free speech? The term ‘free speech’ includes ‘hate speech’, and is therefore protected by the first amendment. This means that even messages we don’t like, agree with, feel uncomfortable about, or even are disgusted by, are legal. Unfortunately, many college students consider harmful words an assault, and some students believe that such verbal attacks can and should be met with violence. Students and speakers today are discriminated against in classrooms and other scenes where free speech and debate should be especially cherished.

College is an important time of development for students. Students are faced with new ideas from their experiences in the new environments on campuses. Based on the acquired knowledge through their peers and professors it is their chance to express their beliefs on an important issue. One of the important aspects of education is the development of critical thinking skills and good belief systems. Any form of suppression or censorship leads to shallow belief systems with no proper reasoning behind it. It is not a proper learning environment when one fears to speak or invite debate, which is why academic freedom needs to be fully valued.

Free speech is at risk at the very institution where it should be assured: the university … Invited speakers are disinvited because a segment of a university community deems them offensive, while other orators are shouted down for similar reasons. Demands are made to eliminate readings that might make some students uncomfortable. Individuals are forced to apologize for expressing views that conflict with prevailing perceptions.

Our environment, culture, religion, parents and personal experiences influence our thoughts and actions. They shape us to be similar if not the same to theirs. When teens or young adults leave their home and face the world their beliefs are challenged at times. Public Colleges often seem to be a freedom of speech battle ground, with many students wanting their ideas to be heard and respected. Famous 19th century poet, Oliver Wendell Holmes, agrees by saying “The very aim and end of our institutions is just this: that we may think what we like and say what we think”. In recent years’ freedom of speech and press has grown exponentially because of social media. It is extremely important to handle that amount of freedom responsibly because it can turn violent quickly. That is why some colleges across America have tried to keep a grip on freedom of speech to protect every student. College institutions are there to help the students think what they want but not necessarily say what they think, because violence has been mixed in and colleges should focus on student’s security and help students respect one another.

The article Where is the Line on College Campuses, brings up the issue of how free speech is now becoming a problem for both students and staff on college campuses. There have been many riots and violent behaviors following certain speakers who have come to some colleges. This was all due to the fact that some of the subjects can really fire people up, and make them have a negative outlook on what is being said. These colleges are now unsure of how to proceed with allowing the freedom of speech to be represented on campus, simply for safety reasons.