Truth be told: the American people are suffering from self-inflicted limitations and mediocracy. Between college safezones and recurring oversensitivity, society has limited what can and cannot be said in acquirement to recently emerging offence. The Berkeley protests were the first series of inciting incidents that led to national implications and constituted the onset of the counterculture era. It was these students in California who birthed a new era on college campuses, one in which students would demand to be included, to be treated like adults, and to have a very public say on such hotbed issues as civil rights and the Vietnam War. Despite the American root of “being heard,” the american people have entirely switched from megaphones to …show more content…
The role between the government and the people have switched gears, whereas the people are the ones limiting what can and cannot be said. At Brown University a “safe space” was created for students upset by a debate consisting of different viewpoints on campus sexual assault. The space included cookies, coloring books, bubbles, Play-Doh, calming music, pillows, blankets, and a video of puppies. In theory, the idea holds many potential benefits. However, even communism looked good on paper. Many perceive college safe zones as a way for students to recuperate and to be free from the harsh language and insulting nature of the American people. Yet, does this freedom college safe zones promote exist as more of a limitation rather than liberty? Treating society as if they are sensitive children, who need to be shielded by disturbing, unsettling, or even “scary” discussions, leaves no room for advancement. Discussion is vital to the development of ideas and solutions. These students need to discuss controversial issues, they need to debate, they need to argue, and they need to explore and listen to others opinions while creating ones of their own. College safe zones limit the importance and beauty of an argument. It is for those who wish to hide from the reality of troublesome occurrences happening in …show more content…
Do not make a world where everyone is holding hands, make one where everyone is raising hands. Teach children to speak, to listen, to be patient, to observe, teach them not to be stubborn, and teach them perspective. This is what needs to be pushed into education: discussion. The main focus is what these safe zones promote and what they teach. Being part of a university that gives cookies, coloring books, bubbles, Play-Doh, calming music, pillows, blankets, and a video of puppies when students refuse to handle the opinion of someone else advocates the loss of free speech. Personally, I am not a child and I am not going to treat my brain to the same treatment as an upcoming preschooler. If society wants proper development we need discussion and we need debate. Society needs discussion for the ideas to flow and for resolutions to be made. Discussion is what truly helps, not silence and
Erwin Chemerinsky describes the main opposing views on this issue in his book Free Speech on Campus, “One derides all efforts to protect students from the effects of offensive or disrespectful speech as “coddling” and “politically correctness.” The other side
After my first semester in college, I was left with a new and exciting learning experience. I engaged in discussions on controversial topics and was exposed to various reading and media material which opened me up to new perspectives. In classrooms, questions about politics, abuse, drugs, death, relationships, religion, and ethics were discussed without restrictions. I enjoyed this learning experience on the most part due to the professors announcing the topics to be discussed the first day of classes. Being fresh out of high school, such a practice relieved the transition into a new academic environment. However, I cannot solely rely on my personal experience when deciding on where to stand regarding the controversy that has students, parents, educators, and administrators in disagreement. In my research I plan to explore the controversy over the use of trigger warnings and safe spaces by analyzing both sides of the debate. My goal is to come to a conclusion concerning the proper use of trigger warnings and safe spaces; specifically, when should trigger warnings be given, where is the use of trigger warnings and safe spaces appropriate, and most importantly, what subjects should students be warned or protected from. I
Colleges and universities are places of higher education and learning. Part of this learning comes from listening and understanding opposite views from your own. Positively, these zones have allowed students to avoid any ideas they may not want to hear; however, avoidance is not the way around life. Another positive outcome of free speech on campuses is that students are able to bind together
College is a time when most individuals are experiencing major changes and begin to explore new perspectives. The transition in becoming more independent, creating new insights and peer influence are key factors in changing the perspective of an individual. Students are faced with new ideas from their professors, family and fellow peers. Through that acquired knowledge many students decide that they either agree or disagree with the perspectives that they are taught. Allowing the right of ‘Free Speech’ on public college campuses has become an important issue that many public colleges are starting to address. In college students are capable of
In the article “Trigger Warnings, Safe Spaces and Free Speech, too” published in the New York Times by Sophie Downes, Downes argues in response to a letter sent out by the dean of the University of Chicago. The letter states that safe spaces and trigger warnings were an issue deterring students from having free speech and therefore would not be supported on the Chicago campus anymore. Downes argues that the letter was just a poor attempt to advert attention away from the real issues on the campus—ones that the dean will not meet with student council about and will not talk about at all. Sophie Downes argues that safe spaces and trigger warnings actually encourage free space and enhance support and community—two values that the dean said were deterred by the existence of them.
After reading the article I concur with the author’s views on colleges coddling students who are offended by words or small actions is doing more harm than good. The article covered the issues in detail and gave many examples of the conception before the 1980’s when children could roam free in the world with less worry for parents to where next generation who had more protective parents because of the increase of kidnappings, removal of physical activities in school, school shootings, and bullying after the 1980’s.The authors discuss how coddling is not good for students, society, the workplace, government or the future. Coddling removes cognitive thinking and the use of good critical thinking skills. Coddling will force students to think with emotion instead of logic. Society will not always bend over backwards to appease ones feelings or change to make someone feel comfortable. Thinking with emotions can create a fog that can hinder ones view of reality.
“Free Inquiry? Not on Campus” by John Leo is an important essay that shows exactly how important it is to protect people's political views and opinions. In Leo's essay, he elaborates how times have changed and how we live in more of a liberal left-wing society and because of this everyone has to be more politically correct. Leo talks about the social change universities and colleges on how they used to promote free speech, but now are more like the speech police telling us what's opinions you should have on any given subject and any other opinion is considered wrong. Leo gives an example of this and writes “in October 2007, for instance, a student mob stormed a Columbia University stage, shutting down speeches by two members of the Minutemen, an anti-illegal immigration group.The students shouted they have no right to
Date rapes, hate crimes and theft have become an apparent concern on college campuses. The most disturbing crime on a college campus is a school shooting. Being a victim of any crime is the last thing any student or parent thinks of when choosing a college or university. The possibilities of danger on a college campus have been increasing over the years due to the reported crimes ranging from theft to murder. Because of the recent years of college campus reported shootings, both student and parent have become alarmingly concerned about
“A movement is arising, undirected and driven largely by students, to scrub campuses clean of words, ideas, and subjects that might cause discomfort or give offense” (Lukianoff and Haidt 44). Colleges are sheltering their students from words and ideas that students do not like or are found to be offensive. Affecting their education and cognitive skills, scientists are warning colleges to refrain from coddling the students and allowing other viewpoints to be spoken. People are speaking their minds, saying their own views; however, some people are over sensitive and take these viewpoints offensively. In the article “The Coddling of the American Mind,” Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt successfully argues using rhetorical questions, specific examples, and affective visuals that protecting college students from words and ideas deteriorates their education and mental health.
In his book, Unlearning Liberty (2014) Greg Lukianoff, President of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) asserts that violations of free speech— whether by students, faculty, or administration—will have devastating effects in greater society. Lukianoff supports his assertion by describing cases he has seen throughout his career at FIRE. From administration punishing students to professors getting fired for clearly protected speech. Lukianoff’s purpose is to point out the misguided lessons about freedom that are being taught on campus and to encourage his audience to stand up for freedom on campus. Lukianoff writes in an earnest tone to an audience who recognizes the importance of freedom in America society.
Benjamin Franklin once said, “Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty, without freedom of speech.” Indeed, free speech is a large block upon which this nation was first constructed, and remains a hard staple of America today; and in few places is that freedom more often utilized than on a college campus. However, there are limitations to our constitutional liberties on campus and they, most frequently, manifest themselves in the form of free speech zones, hate speech and poor university policy. Most school codes are designed to protect students, protect educators and to promote a stable, non-disruptive and non-threatening learning environment. However, students’ verbal freedom
Free speech on college campuses has been a widely debated topic in recent years. Because of this, the opinions held on this subject vary. In the editorial, “Defending Free Speech on College Campuses”, the Editorial Board of the Chicago Tribune defends the idea of education and free speech. The Editorial Board states that students today are not receiving as useful of an education because of the barriers put on free speech. In addition, they argue that in not allowing students to feel uncomfortable, they are not receiving a true education. [A little more summary here would be helpful—how does the author support these claims?] The editorial, “Defending Free Speech on College Campuses,” introduces a valid logical argument on education through describing instances in which students experience uncomfortable learning situations, and the ways in which they were handled. [Hannah, your reasons here are about content, not about rhetoric—what rhetorical reasons is the argument strong?]
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
Lately, the term 'safe spaces' are callously thrown around and mocked in debates and in newspaper op-eds. To many people, the concept of safe spaces has contributed to the oversensitivity of American youth and even a serious threat to free speech, especially in college campuses. A recent example of this negative rhetoric is the University of Chicago's notice to incoming freshman, stating that they “do not condone the creation of intellectual ‘safe spaces’ where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own." While many people are applauding Chicago's move and praise the letter as a positive impact on campus life, it actually does the complete opposite. Policies like these puts many students in the uncomfortable position of entering a discussion or forum that may not be safe for them to learn, interact or share. This why I believe a new normal twenty five years from now will be the availability of safe spaces on every college campus in the United States.
Moreover, although the number of sources discrimi-nating the students have dropped dramatically, yet FIRE still sees many Universities exhausting nu-merous students regarding their way of expression of the words and sentences, which by the way are sometimes self-defending. Thus, the FIRE article explains thoroughly “It is essential that students, fac-ulty, and free speech advocates remain vigilant not only about campus speech codes but also about the way universities may—even in the absence of a policy that is unconstitutional as written—silence or punish protected speech.”(Spotlight on Speech Codes; 1) trusting the fact that many students might feel differentiated, and having their rights and privileges discriminated. This quote not only explains the topic of the protected speech, but also flourishes the author’s tone which could be mostly described as