By Jordan Darling
News Editor
The definition of irony is the fact that I hate writing opinion pieces, but I am sitting here writing an opinion piece.
Why do I hate opinion pieces? Because even though we are all entitled to our opinions, there are far too many people out there who feel entitled to rip into a person’s personal character when expressing said opinion.
So, bring it on. Since this is a piece about free speech, how can I object to obnoxious blowhards (you know, like Yankees fans?) criticizing me for my opinion.
Which brings me to the point of this piece: how free is free speech? Do we really have the freedom to say what we believe if we run the risk of being attacked or blacklisted for our personal views?
In 2017, UC Berkeley canceled a speech by right-wing provocateur speaker Milo Yiannopoulos in light of destructive protests by the student body the day of his appearance.
Yiannopoulos is a harsh critic of feminism, body positivity movements and various other more liberally minded views, and he can be a real jerk.
But did the student body have a right to shut him out because they didn’t agree? NO. That is censorship, something that undermines the very idea of the First Amendment plus violent protests are not covered under free speech.
On the other side of the spectrum, last summer a professor of Africa Studies, Keeanga Yamahtta-Taylor, received death threats after giving a speech that criticized the Trump administration.
Taylor was later forced to cancel public events out of fear for her safety and that of her family. Violent threats are also not covered under free speech.
CSUDH just held an entire week dedicated to Free Speech, which centered around understanding free speech and learning how and when it applies. Hint: that wasn’t it.
Free speech is a fundamental part of our constitution; we have the unique ability to express our opinions and discuss our ideas in an open forum.
Disagreements are bound to happen and that is OK. What is not OK is sending threats or attacking someone because they don’t agree with you.
As you can tell by now. I can be very outspoken; I am opinionated and see things a very specific way. But I manage to discuss things openly with the conservatives and liberals that I hold near and dear to my heart because I respect them and they respect me.
I’m not the only one.
“Something I’ve found, that if I can’t discuss it or if it gets personal I can stop,” said Kat Romo a senior in media studies.” [I] set my boundaries [and know] that I love and respect this person.”
Say it louder for the people in the back, Kat: The keywords in her statement are RESPECT and BOUNDARIES.
I have been called a libtard, a communist, and I have had family friends message my parents to lament about my “socialist behavior.”
On the flip side, I have been called a racist and had someone blow up on my Facebook wall and call my dad and brother trained murderers due to their military service.
When I say how free is free speech what I mean is how free are we to express our thoughts and opinions without being attacked on a personal level?
That’s what Kent Ogden feels happened to him during Free Speech week. Ogden, a junior advertising and PR was asked to be on a panel covering civil discourse as a conservative voice.
Ogden said while overall it was a “wonderful experience” full of open “intellectual discussion,” the last 10 minutes left a sour taste in his mouth.
“The moderator went on a rant … and essentially said I couldn’t possibly understand what a [Black], a gay or a female person goes through … and he said stuff down the line to shut me up,” said Ogden.
I wasn’t there, so I can’t speak about whether his feelings, which are justified because they are his, accurately reflect the tone of the moderator. But it an example that all too often what is supposed to be an intellectual pursuit of mutual understanding is shut down because of a speaker’s political view or perceived upbringing.
As university students, it’s even more important that we stop trying to censor those who we don’t agree with us. STOP living in echo chambers and start talking about the things that matter. We want progress, not a stalemate because we can’t get it together enough to discuss things like the mature educated adults we are–or should be.
