The Importance Of Censorship In Society

“Over the years, courts have ruled that college officials may set up reasonable rules to regulate the ‘time, place and manner” that the free speech can occur, as long as the rules are “content neutral,’ meaning they apply equally to all sides of issues” (Fisher, 2008). Speech codes and free speech zones on campus do exist for many reasons: many of the causes or topics that students or others looking to interact with students take up are controversial and can frequently take on less of an academic or social justice overtone and more of a hateful one. Hate speech is the greatest threat to freedom of speech on college campuses, and the limitations colleges and universities put on student’s verbal freedoms are largely in place as efforts to avoid it. Religion, in particular, is a hot topic on campuses and it has an unfortunate tendency to become more aggressive and argumentative than universities would like. However, under the First Amendment, individuals do have a right to speech that the listener disagrees with and to speech that is offensive and hateful. It’s always easier to defend someone’s right to say something with which you agree. But in a free society, you also have a duty to defend speech to which you may strongly object.

Freedom of speech is a fundamental American freedom and a human right, and there’s no place that this right should be more valued and protected than in colleges and universities. A college exists to educate and to advance a student 's knowledge. Colleges do so by acting as a “marketplace of ideas” where ideas compete. It is important to be able to compare your ideas with everyone else as it helps to open your mind to other people’s views and can give you a different perception on things. In the article “The Coddling of the American Mind,” Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukiankoff talked about how too many college students engage in “catastrophizing," which is in short, the overreaction to something. They also said that “smart people do, in fact, overreact to innocuous speech, make mountains out of molehills, and seek punishment for anyone whose words make anyone else feel uncomfortable.”(Haidt) Many colleges have the belief that prohibiting freedom of speech will resolve such issues. But instead, colleges should take a different approach on the matter by teaching students how to properly utilize their Freedom of Speech which will help to resolve future conflicts and misunderstandings.

For centuries Universities have been a place to freely voice your opinion and debate with others. These institutions have been relatively safe harbors for debating social issues and exercising the individual's civil rights. However, current students seem to be the exact opposite, and the constitutional principle of free speech seems under siege. “Colleges and universities in the United States have retreated from strong historical support for free speech, including the dis-invitation of speakers, promulgation of speech codes that prohibit what is deemed "offensive speech," and students protesting the participation of politically unpopular speakers on campus” (Eliott)

Recently, there has been a lot of discussion regarding free speech on college campuses. Our first amendment gives us the right of Free Speech but many groups retain the ability to censor it within their own organisation, such as in the workplace and in both public and private lower education. I believe that the ability should be extended to colleges and universities (both public and private). Students should have the right to be at school while feeling physically safe. An example of this right being violated because of someone else’s “free speech” was last spring at American University in which bananas were strung up on nooses around campus with AKA (a historically-black sorority) labeled on them the day after AU’s first black female student

In his essay, “The Campus: An Island of Repression in a Sea of Freedom”, Chester Finn details the growing movement for political correctness at the collegiate level. He quotes the regents of Massachusetts, “There must be unity and cohesion in the diversity which we seek to achieve, thereby creating an atmosphere of pluralism” (Finn 58). However, that pluralism does not parallel the First Amendment. In this situation, the issue is not freedom of expression, but the steps taken to limit it. An article written by Maegan Vazquez for Fox News details a stipulation to the speech code at Indiana University Southeast. The code states that students are restricted to expressing their opinions in “free speech” zones. However, Robert Shibley, Senior Vice President for the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, fires back “It's not just Indiana University Southeast. Colorado College, in Colorado Springs, prohibits ‘any act of ridicule...or embarrassment,’ and Northeastern University, in Boston, prohibits the use of university computer resources to transmit or make accessible material, which in the sole judgment of the University is offensive." He sums up the damage that this situation is causing with his final statement. “You're teaching [college students] that they're not equipped to live in a free society” (Vazquez). Therefore, those parents who worry about the indoctrination of their college-age children are justified in that fear as this problem is widespread and

The founding fathers made free speech the First Amendment not to protect popular speech, but for the protection of unpopular speech that goes against the views of the majority. In the United States, colleges are a form of higher education beyond high school where students go further themselves for their future careers. While at college, students engage in debates that will either reaffirm or make them rethink their own beliefs, in turn making students active and engaged US citizens. However, recently an emergence of calls for the regulation of speech have gained popularity across US campuses. These people seek to regulate speech to keep students from taking offense from speech in order to promote an inclusive and diverse college environment. Colleges have a responsibility to maintain a welcoming environment for all students on campus regardless of their race or religion. However, questions to how

College is the time for self-discovery, greater knowledge, and the formation of ideas and opinions. However, when looking at public institutions today, that ideal college experience is just a dream for many students because the restriction of speech lessens the opportunity for them to discover themselves and what they believe. Public universities are institutions of the state, and therefore must play by the same rules, including the First Amendment right of freedom of speech, as all other government run-institutions. Unfortunately, over the years, public administrators have slowly been restricting the speech of students, faculty, speakers, etc. through speech codes, college policies and many more methods. As said by Robert Zimmer, president of UChicago, these actions lead to an education “...that fails to prepare students for the challenge of different ideas and the evaluation of their own assumptions[, and creates] a world in which their feelings take precedence over other matters that need to be confronted” (Stephens). Limiting free speech on campuses has created overly sheltered environments for students, impairing their voice and creating a dysfunctional speech culture for our democracy in the current and coming generations.

Throughout the 20th Century, American colleges and universities gained the reputation of being bastions of free speech and the discussion of ideas. While universities in Europe became less and less free, cowering to political correctness, American universities fiercely debated every major issue that faced the country. Most importantly though, liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, Atheists and Christians, all believed in the spread of ideas, and free expression. However, while our institutions of higher learning remain significantly freer than their European counterparts, that reputation of freedom of speech is in doubt. Students and faculty are increasingly resentful towards anyone they deem to be perpetuating hate speech, a term that has spun wildly out of control. The Framers of the Constitution certainly never wished that their great experiment of a nation would succumb to the suppression of those with unpopular ideas, especially at the places in which children are expected to become adults, and explore new, and often provocative ideas. (I wonder) Whether it 's the 40% of millennials who believe "hate speech" should be banned by the government, the screaming at and uninviting speakers with conservative beliefs, or the fear of speaking out,, the First Amendment is under attack in 2016, but is not yet lost. This generation will have to choose whether or not they want an Orwellian government that dictates what is and isn 't an acceptable belief. The First

American society identifies itself as a society where freedom and equal opportunity for learning and expressing new ideas are abundant and unthwarted. The free speech principle, or the principle that all speech and ideas should be able to move freely without being impeded on by government or an institution, is a principle American society has taken many steps to solidify and safeguard. Despite our best efforts, differentiating ideas and free speech continue to be segregated in favor of popular opinion especially in higher education. Often times, students along with public speakers and professors are silenced on campus because of conflict with the public’s sentiment. This obstruction of the basic American value of free speech in higher education comes with a detrimental cost to liberal education and the free flow of ideas.

College students pose a threat to the society by having a voice or having the Freedom of Speech and that’s exactly why Colleges and Universities put an emphasis on Censorship because they don’t want the students to be completely free and have the power to overthrow the government and make decisions on their own. Basically, the government makes our decisions for us. Students work hard in class to make a better and brighter life for themselves and they follow all the rules given to them but they can’t grant us our simple request for Freedom of Speech which is completely outrageous! Our rights and values should be protected and

Some might argue that it’s unconstitutional for public colleges to place limitations on free speech, but in actuality, the right of public schools to restrict speech has been supported by the Supreme Court on several occasions. For example, in the 1986 case Bethel School District No. 403 v. Fraser, in which, Fraser was a high school student who made an inappropriate speech at a school assembly full of offensive and lewd language. The school suspended him and in response he sued, but when the case went to the Supreme Court, the Court sided with the school. The court decided that schools were allowed to forbid vulgar speech. According to Chief Justice Warren Burger, “ The undoubted freedom to advocate unpopular and controversial views in schools and classrooms must be balanced against the society's countervailing interest in teaching students the boundaries of socially appropriate behavior. Even the most heated political discourse in a democratic society requires consideration for the personal sensibilities of the other participants and audiences,” (First Amendment Schools).

After reviewing Supreme Court cases relevant to the issue of freedom of speech on public college campuses it is evident that some guidance has been given, here is what we know when looking at free speech on public college campuses. First, in Sweezy, there is a recognized right by the Court to Academic Freedom, especially scholarship and the need for the freedom to inquire, evaluate, and study (354 U.S. 234). Secondly, in Keyishian, the Court set the standard for Academic freedom as not allowing “…laws that cast a pall of orthodoxy over the classroom” (385 U.S. 603). Keyishian also recognized that restrictions put forth by the college that administer a potential Chilling Effect, are deemed unconstitutional. Lastly, in Healy, the Court recognized

The United States government has the limited right to monitor its citizens. Many countries all over the world use censorship to wield power and monitor their subjects and citizens and make sure that the government has complete control. In the United States, where internet and social media are widely used, the government should have some hand in social media and its regulation as well as monitoring for cyber crime. Take for instance, England, the country has seen a steady increase in crime rate with internet use and social media, from people posting threats or illegal things such as geomarked photos of fully automatic weapons to tracking files illegally downloaded and obtained, such as child pornography or accessing illegal markets for goods

However, just like many other “guaranteed” rights of American citizens, the right of the freedom of speech was not always so easily obtainable. On college campuses, this right is limited and may differ greatly based on policies set by the college as well as state lawmakers. In fact, private school students may not be protected by the First Amendment, and are subject to any and all clearly articulated speech restrictions imposed upon them by their college.

“Adolescents’ choices in literature can make teachers cringe. However, instead of censoring texts, the focus should shift to students’ ability to read beyond “inappropriate.” (Denzin, 1). Censorship has become a big problem in society today especially in schools using trigger warnings because it is limiting students of their overall learning. Society is banning “questionable” content because it may offend a student 's morals or beliefs, but in the real world it is something that students need to learn and understand. As time goes on censorship is damaging the younger generations by banning information that is important for them to know.