Tiffany G-S.
While many proud American patriots find themselves joining the Armed Forces to defend the very rights all American citizens are guaranteed those rights are not always protected. College campuses and universities, for example, have a history of being safe spaces to learn and express a diversity of opinions. Since the era of the Vietnam war, college students have often felt inclined to express their free speech and other freedoms guaranteed under the First Amendment, and they have often done so under the name of their university. Currently, in the United States, colleges and universities (public especially) claim to endorse and encourage their students’ guarantees under the First Amendment, however this is not always the case as sad as that is. This does not necessarily mean that the First Amendment is under attack at colleges and universities in the United States, but it is still threatened to an extent.
There have been examples in the recent past of censorship and limiting of free speech in colleges such as certain speakers being turned away from universities based on their ideologies of political affiliation. Commonly dubbed “disinviting,” the act of turning away speakers after they have been invited (either by students or by the university itself) is often done to maintain the reputation or save the face of the university particularly when the invited speaker is controversial or has a controversial background. Take, for example, California State University disinviting Ben Shapiro in 2016 after his proposed lecture. Shapiro threatened legal action against the university, eventually reclaiming his right to speak. This comes to show that some colleges and universities, while still claiming to promote free speech, deny it at times that it stands to soil their reputation.
Further suppression of the First Amendment can be seen in universities through the students themselves. Across the nation, there has been a string of professor firings based on the nature of the materials being taught. Just recently, a professor was dismissed from Hamline University (in St. Paul, Minnesota) for showing her art history class paintings of the Prophet Muhammad. Such dismissal merely to appeal to the opinions and whims of the students is a blatant violation of the First Amendment.
Although the same opinions are not shared or wholly understood by each individual in this nation, everyone still deserves the right to speak their mind and have their voice heard. This is one of the primary pillars upon which these United states of America were founded, and it is what many brave men and women serve for every day. Being able to think critically about a variety of opinions is part of the reason students attend post-secondary education in the United States. As it is now, several college institutions and universities do not promote the growth of opinion and free speaking to their best capabilities, yet they still do so to the extent that the United States is recognizable as a nation that promotes free speech and diversity.
While many proud American patriots find themselves joining the Armed Forces to defend the very rights all American citizens are guaranteed those rights are not always protected. College campuses and universities, for example, have a history of being safe spaces to learn and express a diversity of opinions. Since the era of the Vietnam war, college students have often felt inclined to express their free speech and other freedoms guaranteed under the First Amendment, and they have often done so under the name of their university. Currently, in the United States, colleges and universities (public especially) claim to endorse and encourage their students’ guarantees under the First Amendment, however this is not always the case as sad as that is. This does not necessarily mean that the First Amendment is under attack at colleges and universities in the United States, but it is still threatened to an extent.
There have been examples in the recent past of censorship and limiting of free speech in colleges such as certain speakers being turned away from universities based on their ideologies of political affiliation. Commonly dubbed “disinviting,” the act of turning away speakers after they have been invited (either by students or by the university itself) is often done to maintain the reputation or save the face of the university particularly when the invited speaker is controversial or has a controversial background. Take, for example, California State University disinviting Ben Shapiro in 2016 after his proposed lecture. Shapiro threatened legal action against the university, eventually reclaiming his right to speak. This comes to show that some colleges and universities, while still claiming to promote free speech, deny it at times that it stands to soil their reputation.
Further suppression of the First Amendment can be seen in universities through the students themselves. Across the nation, there has been a string of professor firings based on the nature of the materials being taught. Just recently, a professor was dismissed from Hamline University (in St. Paul, Minnesota) for showing her art history class paintings of the Prophet Muhammad. Such dismissal merely to appeal to the opinions and whims of the students is a blatant violation of the First Amendment.
Although the same opinions are not shared or wholly understood by each individual in this nation, everyone still deserves the right to speak their mind and have their voice heard. This is one of the primary pillars upon which these United states of America were founded, and it is what many brave men and women serve for every day. Being able to think critically about a variety of opinions is part of the reason students attend post-secondary education in the United States. As it is now, several college institutions and universities do not promote the growth of opinion and free speaking to their best capabilities, yet they still do so to the extent that the United States is recognizable as a nation that promotes free speech and diversity.
Emma C.
The First Amendment of the United States Constitution grants us freedom of speech, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the government for grievances. The First Amendment is the cornerstone of our Bill of Rights, and it has come under attack as people are afraid to express their opinions due to fear of being “canceled” at universities in the United States. College is supposed to be a safe ground where people from all backgrounds and beliefs can come together in united school colors; however, recently, people are turning against their friends and classmates fueled by hatred.
A lack of intellectual diversity prevents open discussion and critical thought, reducing complex issues to binary outcomes where only one answer is acceptable. Even the New York Times, a left-leaning newspaper that has won more Pulitzer Prizes than any other publication, expressed “Ideas that go unchallenged by opposing views rick becoming weak and brittle rather than being strengthened by tough scrutiny.” Their research poll found that “only 34 percent of Americans believe all Americans enjoyed freedom of speech completely.” College students are our nation’s future. They are our future doctors, politicians, and mothers who need to learn and grow in these academic settings without the fear of speaking their opinions.
Cancel culture harms our democracy because it silences free speech and encourages jumping on the “bandwagon.” Many students choose to remain silent and avoid the risk of being shamed by their peers who attack them from the safety behind a screen or in a class discussion. Instead of canceling and shouting at each other people should listen first, understand the perspective, and then speak. The Heritage Foundation conducted a poll in which 20 percent of Democrats and Republicans said they are not friends with anyone who holds different viewpoints. The constant arguing over who is politically correct or should be canceled creates a dangerous divide in our democracy. If college students can learn how to listen to thoughtful and respectful positions in an open-minded, judgement-free environment, they can seek to find common ground with their fellow peers instead of tearing each other apart for their differences.
The First Amendment of the United States Constitution grants us freedom of speech, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the government for grievances. The First Amendment is the cornerstone of our Bill of Rights, and it has come under attack as people are afraid to express their opinions due to fear of being “canceled” at universities in the United States. College is supposed to be a safe ground where people from all backgrounds and beliefs can come together in united school colors; however, recently, people are turning against their friends and classmates fueled by hatred.
A lack of intellectual diversity prevents open discussion and critical thought, reducing complex issues to binary outcomes where only one answer is acceptable. Even the New York Times, a left-leaning newspaper that has won more Pulitzer Prizes than any other publication, expressed “Ideas that go unchallenged by opposing views rick becoming weak and brittle rather than being strengthened by tough scrutiny.” Their research poll found that “only 34 percent of Americans believe all Americans enjoyed freedom of speech completely.” College students are our nation’s future. They are our future doctors, politicians, and mothers who need to learn and grow in these academic settings without the fear of speaking their opinions.
Cancel culture harms our democracy because it silences free speech and encourages jumping on the “bandwagon.” Many students choose to remain silent and avoid the risk of being shamed by their peers who attack them from the safety behind a screen or in a class discussion. Instead of canceling and shouting at each other people should listen first, understand the perspective, and then speak. The Heritage Foundation conducted a poll in which 20 percent of Democrats and Republicans said they are not friends with anyone who holds different viewpoints. The constant arguing over who is politically correct or should be canceled creates a dangerous divide in our democracy. If college students can learn how to listen to thoughtful and respectful positions in an open-minded, judgement-free environment, they can seek to find common ground with their fellow peers instead of tearing each other apart for their differences.