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Generation of students against free speech and prohibit opposing views?

Turnbull2000Turnbull2000 Posts: 7,588
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in General Discussion #1
This seems to becoming increasingly common, with latest trend being banning 'unpopular' views because University students may feel 'threatened'. Doesn't bode well for the future.

This week UKIP are on the receiving end...

http://www.buzzfeed.com/sirajdatoo/ukip-at-uea
Timea Suli, called on the student union to cancel the event “to protect students who feel intimidated or degraded by the party”.

“Help us keep our campus a safe, productive, and caring place, where we can all work together regardless of who we are and where we come from.”

Suli added that the university would abandon its values if it held the event, organised by the Political, International and Social Studies society.
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Comments

  • jenziejenzie Posts: 20,821
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    #2
    then they're morons then, who can't take a differing viewpoint
  • KJ44KJ44 Posts: 38,093
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    #3
    Someone is taking the piss. :D

    Political, International and Social Studies
  • Turnbull2000Turnbull2000 Posts: 7,588
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    #4
    Or how about threatening the participants of and consequently getting called off a debate on abortion? These are the words of a couple of Cambridge students who led the threats...

    http://leftfootforward.org/2014/11/free-speech-is-a-right-but-a-platform-is-not/
    I'm yet to read an objection to our opposition to OSFL’s debate that hasn’t been written by a cisgender white man. This generation of students and activists is standing up and saying that, for too long, men have spoken over women, trans and non-binary people, just as white people have spoken over people of colour.

    Yes, the above quote is real and not a parordy :o


    And the Cambridge Union president justifying it...

    http://timsquirrell.wordpress.com/2014/11/23/why-free-speech-isnt-absolute-and-its-okay-to-be-vulnerable/
    We have to prioritise the emotional, mental and physical wellbeing of our friends and colleagues over the ability of privileged people

    Thus the potential to offend or upset is now grounds for prohibiting views and discussion.
  • bspacebspace Posts: 14,303
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    #5
    In my day the only people I wanted off campus where those who sought to censer and deny other peoples opinion. Like Mary Whitehouse and the BNP.

    These days it's the radical Muslims I'd want out, but it seems the student unions are quite happy for such mysoginist homophobes to be given space to promote and impose their views. But anything that offends the student 'left' is to be banned.
  • muggins14muggins14 Posts: 61,844
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    #6
    Wouldn't it be more logical to invite all major parties to attend rather than banning one? Why was only one party invited to attend, even if they have a different party on different evenings, at least it would be more logical.
  • maggie thecatmaggie thecat Posts: 2,241
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    #7
    It is a disturbing trend and ironically enough it is one that is fostered by people who claim to be all about open society and inclusiveness. More and more I think Huxley and Orwell were off on their dates but otherwise called the societal trends.
  • Sorcha_27Sorcha_27 Posts: 138,825
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    #8
    Turnbull2000 wrote: »
    This seems to becoming increasingly common, with latest trend being banning 'unpopular' views because University students may feel 'threatened'. Doesn't bode well for the future.

    This week UKIP are on the receiving end...

    http://www.buzzfeed.com/sirajdatoo/ukip-at-uea

    People can voice their opposition better by having the debate rather than banning something they don't like. What a ridiculous student union.
  • Get Den WattsGet Den Watts Posts: 6,039
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    #9
    Don't worry. It'll be at least 25 years before this bunch of milquetoast students are running the country.
  • Sorcha_27Sorcha_27 Posts: 138,825
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    #10
    In my student days I was a bit of a lefty. Now I look back and think what was I like. Realism sets in when you leave the student bubble.
  • KJ44KJ44 Posts: 38,093
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    #11
    I think it's about time we resurrected "no platform" as an argument and I'm chuffed to bits UEA and UoE are in the vanguard.

    Say what you like, have your precious free speech, but if I don't like it I'm free to tell you to go away from my neck of the woods

    Read this carefully
    http://leftfootforward.org/2014/11/free-speech-is-a-right-but-a-platform-is-not/
  • ollie1004ollie1004 Posts: 754
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    #12
    Absolutely hilarious. The left at their best. I mean, protecting students from views that might hurt or offend them? This country is becoming increasingly pathetic. So what happens? I have mental images of UKIP turning up with their views and all these poor put upon students shaking like sh*ting dogs, cowering under tables. Aww poor students! :(

    Seriously, and I'm no fan of UKIP but I do believe in free speech. The treacherous and poisonous left is slowly eroding whatever back bone this country once had. Now it's students baring the brunt. Think of the children, WON'T SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!!
  • Speak-SoftlySpeak-Softly Posts: 24,737
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    #13
    KJ44 wrote: »
    I think it's about time we resurrected "no platform" as an argument and I'm chuffed to bits UEA and UoE are in the vanguard.

    Say what you like, have your precious free speech, but if I don't like it I'm free to tell you to go away from my neck of the woods

    Read this carefully
    http://leftfootforward.org/2014/11/free-speech-is-a-right-but-a-platform-is-not/

    And the person standing next to you has the freedom to invite them in.
  • KJ44KJ44 Posts: 38,093
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    #14
    ollie1004 wrote: »
    Think of the children, WON'T SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!!

    boiled or fried?
  • getzlsgetzls Posts: 4,007
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    #15
    Yes, the Fascist left only believe they have a right to speech, free or otherwise
  • KJ44KJ44 Posts: 38,093
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    #16
    Speak-Softly wrote: »
    And the person standing next to you has the freedom to invite them in.

    Actually, we agree. :)
  • KJ44KJ44 Posts: 38,093
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    #17
    getzls wrote: »
    Yes, the Fascist left only believe they have a right to speech, free or otherwise

    Are you a Trotskyist tory then?
  • tghe-retfordtghe-retford Posts: 26,449
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    #18
    Turnbull2000 wrote: »
    Yes, the above quote is real and not a parordy :o
    What you are seeing here is "gender justice" and the enemy of people who believe in this ideology are white cis males. They talk of gender equality at face value but if you look underneath that mask, they prefer the idea of white cis men, who are perceived to have held women and other groups under patriarchy in the history of mankind, to be punished and made subordinate. This is not equality but discrimination and it is something as an egalitarian which I abhor.

    Free speech is a good thing and should be defended. What isn't a good thing is when ideologues prevent discussion from a group anywhere they try to speak because they disagree with them. Their plan is to prevent any the views of people they disagree with occuring anywhere they try to speak. I detest Britain First and the BNP as much as many people do but I prefer to take their ideology to task through open debate and not via full blown censorship.
  • muggins14muggins14 Posts: 61,844
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    #19
    tghe-retford wrote: »
    Free speech is a good thing and should be defended. What isn't a good thing is when ideologues prevent discussion from a group anywhere they try to speak because they disagree with them. Their plan is to prevent any the views of people they disagree with occuring anywhere they try to speak. I detest Britain First and the BNP as much as many people do but I prefer to take their ideology to task through open debate and not via full blown censorship.
    I would agree with this.

    Know your enemy, isn't that what they say? I do believe that it's better to hear and know the views of those with whom you disagree than to not know, how can you challenge and change things if they are censored and kept suppressed?
  • Dr. ClawDr. Claw Posts: 7,375
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    #20
    how odd. but these students think nothing bad about inviting certain religious weirdos from other countries who advocate stoning of gay people to talk to their universities
  • Sorcha_27Sorcha_27 Posts: 138,825
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    #21
    tghe-retford wrote: »
    What you are seeing here is "gender justice" and the enemy of people who believe in this ideology are white cis males. They talk of gender equality at face value but if you look underneath that mask, they prefer the idea of white cis men, who are perceived to have held women and other groups under patriarchy in the history of mankind, to be punished and made subordinate. This is not equality but discrimination and it is something as an egalitarian which I abhor.

    Free speech is a good thing and should be defended. What isn't a good thing is when ideologues prevent discussion from a group anywhere they try to speak because they disagree with them. Their plan is to prevent any the views of people they disagree with occuring anywhere they try to speak. I detest Britain First and the BNP as much as many people do but I prefer to take their ideology to task through open debate and not via full blown censorship.

    I agree. At my university in Ireland they banned holocaust denier David Irving. I wanted to debate and attack his reprehensible views. However his banning meant this was impossible.
  • MudboxMudbox Posts: 10,110
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    #22
    when it comes to censorship, I think the mainstream media is pretty much tied and gagged.....all the interesting things the news could say, it can't, so we are mainly fed stuff about murders.

    Oh yea, try to tell the tell-it-how-it-is gang to **** off, and suddenly it is leftwing censorship.
  • KJ44KJ44 Posts: 38,093
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    #23
    sorcha_healy27 wrote: »
    I agree. At my university in Ireland they banned holocaust denier David Irving. I wanted to debate and attack his reprehensible views. However his banning meant this was impossible.

    It's unlikely that would achieve anything but a rush of adrenaline and likely it would distress other people in the audience and in the local community.
  • Sorcha_27Sorcha_27 Posts: 138,825
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    #24
    KJ44 wrote: »
    It's unlikely that would achieve anything but a rush of adrenaline and likely it would distress other people in the audience and in the local community.

    Eh? I meant attack his views. Not physically attack him
  • KJ44KJ44 Posts: 38,093
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    #25
    sorcha_healy27 wrote: »
    Eh? I meant attack his views. Not physically attack him

    I didn't mean that. :)

    It's nice to have a pop, verbally, but tactically it is a loss because the damage done to each side is asymmetric, the speaker holds all the cards. No platform is a difficult path to follow but it does get a result.
  • Keiō LineKeiō Line Posts: 12,979
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    #26
    There have always been student unions doing this.

    Where I studied they banned Christians from speaking in a debate about the abortion time limit.
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