The latest bout of collegiate outrage that has captured the nation’s attention surprisingly does not come from an offensive themed fraternity party, or an undergraduate bellowing “Don’t tase me, bro” during a political speech. No, the country is taking notice that institutions of higher education are sacrificing free speech and free expression on the grounds of political correctness.
Take the recent college commencement speech conundrums, for example.
During the past graduation cycle, many colleges have uninvited a good amount of scheduled commencement speakers because of their stances on the Iraq War, Islam and Occupy Wall Street. Those snubbed included former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde, women’s rights activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali and former chancellor at the University of California, Berkeley Robert Birgeneau. Yeah, the Berkeley guy was dissuaded from speaking to a liberal university. In effect, colleges silenced the voices of women, minorities and a liberal administrator — a sign of troubling times in the country.
One might think, “OK, well those are the speakers’ opinions. Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion.”
Not the case of these colleges. Toleration, especially in the ivy-covered bastions of liberal thought, is a one-way street. Those deemed unenlightened, those who have not progressed on select issues and those who dare to buck the public consensus face incoming traffic head-on.
The all-too-common rationale is, “I will tolerate you provided you agree with me. If you don’t, I won’t allow you to speak.”
As a result, students are prevented from participating in a learning experience on campus. Students, who ironically have been forcibly proselytized to by many an academic, would listen to the commencement speech and form their own opinion about the topic discussed.
College educators are not only informing students what to think but also what to find offensive. Some institutions have begun using trigger warnings in order to warn readers of any subjects discussed in the text that are deemed offensive.
For example, Oberlin College warned students reading “Things Fall Apart” that it may “trigger readers who have experienced racism, colonialism, religious persecution, violence, suicide” and more.
I, for one, have never met a person in the waiting room of a psychiatrist who is dealing with problems caused by colonialist references in a book.
Hysterics aside, a person should be sensitive to others. But when sensitivity goes awry, the resulting political correctness becomes farcical.
National Review Online columnist Jonah Goldberg made an interesting point. He wrote, “We live in a culture in which it is considered bigotry to question whether women should join combat units — but it is also apparently outrageous to subject women of the same age to realistic books and films about war without a warning?” Farcical indeed.
It’s a shame that these situations happen on college campuses. Pursuing higher education is a venerable endeavor, and professors can make a great difference in a student’s life. However, when one’s schooling gets in the way of one’s education, a degree-seeking student is prevented from participating in the activity for which he or she is taking out loans. Some professors undoubtedly want to become the free speech arbiters of society in order to preserve their preconceived and incorrect ideals that an offense-free world is practical. In a free society, that could never happen.
A true education allows room for differing opinions. Learning should be a communal experience. If an individual desires to change another person’s opinion, allow him to speak and debate him on the issues. That is an educational ideal. Anything short of that is a tyranny of thought.
A real learning experience is taking place while this calamity ensues. Students are learning that political correctness is running amuck, and college craziness isn’t exclusive to Saturday night keggers.
[Michael Beato is a UF economics sophomore. His columns appear on Tuesdays. A version of this column ran on page 6 on 5/27/2014 under the headline "Political correctness hinders truth seeking"]
