It amazes me to hear about what has happened to the idea of free speech on college campuses. Free speech is a simple concept: anyone is free to say what he or she wants so long as it does not cause harm to another. The harm is not "emotional harm" caused by hearing something one doesn't like. No, it takes actual physical harm or words likely to cause such harm.
Let's use some examples:
1. If I tell some college student that he is an ignorant fool who has no idea of reality, that may be offensive, but it is protected free speech.
2. If I call for the deportation of all illegal aliens, that's also protected speech even if it offends some people.
3. If I tell a college student that he had better behave as I say or I will break every bone in his body, that is not protected speech if the threat of violence is real.
It's really not that hard to understand. It's a basic freedom that is so important in the USA that it is the FIRST item in the Bill of Rights. Nevertheless, this basic freedom is under threat now on many college campuses. There is a move to bar offensive speech which might upset someone, at least that is what is said. In actual fact, the move is to bar speech that might offend the left. A college student could call Donald Trump just about any name in the book and see no retribution. The same student could not make the same statement about Hillary Clinton without suffering consequences. Free speech has been replaced with censorship.
Too many Americans have fought and died over the centuries to preserve our rights to let those rights go down the drain now under an assault from the left. We need the free exchange of ideas, even if those ideas are frightening or annoying.
Let's use some examples:
1. If I tell some college student that he is an ignorant fool who has no idea of reality, that may be offensive, but it is protected free speech.
2. If I call for the deportation of all illegal aliens, that's also protected speech even if it offends some people.
3. If I tell a college student that he had better behave as I say or I will break every bone in his body, that is not protected speech if the threat of violence is real.
It's really not that hard to understand. It's a basic freedom that is so important in the USA that it is the FIRST item in the Bill of Rights. Nevertheless, this basic freedom is under threat now on many college campuses. There is a move to bar offensive speech which might upset someone, at least that is what is said. In actual fact, the move is to bar speech that might offend the left. A college student could call Donald Trump just about any name in the book and see no retribution. The same student could not make the same statement about Hillary Clinton without suffering consequences. Free speech has been replaced with censorship.
Too many Americans have fought and died over the centuries to preserve our rights to let those rights go down the drain now under an assault from the left. We need the free exchange of ideas, even if those ideas are frightening or annoying.
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