Is Freedom of Speech a Weapon?

Is Freedom of Speech a Weapon?

Life at American colleges these days are viewed as campus hotbeds of narrow-mindedness for freedom of speech. However, there is a new report that questions that as well as warning of a different risk. The report by PEN America states: “a growing perception among young people that cries ‘free speech’ are too often used as a cudgel against them.” This report that is titled “And Campus for all: Diversity, Inclusion and Freedom of Speech at U.S. Universities” will go over a bunch of triggering topics. These topics are trigger warnings; microaggressions; safe places; and controversial campus speakers. This report also includes a very apparent difference of viewpoints between advocates and activists for free speech. This is because of a conversation that would dismiss a students’ demand for fairness and inclusion. 

This report warns us of the possibility that a new generation will rise and turn against free speech. Suzanne Nossel, the group’s executive director, says otherwise. She says that the report will end up promoting more diverse voices through different projects such as PEN’s annual World Voices Festival of International Literature. There was a poll that was taken last spring that showed most college students were in favor of free speech on campus in general. The only thing was that college students also favored some restrictions on “intentionally offensive” speech. “From an old-fashioned free-speech perspective, it strikes one as contradictory,” said Alberto Ibargüen, the chief executive of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, a sponsor of the poll. This PEN report also ends up running its self into some contradictions. It looks at cases for and against requests of safe spaces, and the report looks at campaigns against so-called microaggressions. 

“It’s a very smart and thoughtful and avoids caricature. They are fully committed to robust, uninhibited speech. But they also recognize words matter,” said Jerry Kang. Jerry Kang is the vice chancellor for equity, diversity, and inclusion at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a legal scholar who has studied implicit bias and was interviewed for the report. He said that he appreciated PEN’s efforts to understand the college students’ point of view.