Joshua Vandermeyde
ASA 2 Week 7
Section A03
This week’s readings highlighted the theme of the week of
academic freedom and its threats. I think this is an important issue today and
we see many examples of its threats. The article about the free speech movement
at Berkeley is a great example of the power a university has over its students
in being able to shut down speech that they do not agree with. Along with the
university, we are seeing a growing number of students that are shutting down
free speech as well. With the protests and riots surrounding conservative or
alt-right speakers at universities, students are increasingly being seen as
people who cannot handle opposing viewpoints and try to shut down those who
they disagree with. “The Coddling of the American Mind” also talks about how
universities should prepare students for the real world, where there are no
safe spaces and you encounter people you disagree with on a daily basis. The
shutdowns of alternative lines of thinking have given these people a larger
platform to spread what they believe, which is exactly the opposite of what the
protestors want to happen. Sometimes through the suppression of free speech, we
see the growth of the idea that was trying to be suppressed.
Question:
If there were no protests against people like Milo
Yiannopoulos and Martin Skreli, would we know who they were today?
Resources:
Lukianoff, G &
Haidt, J. (2015, September). “The Coddling of the American Mind.” The Atlantic.
Cohen, R. (1985).
Berkeley Free Speech Movement: Paving the way for campus activism. OAH Magazine
of History,1(1), 16-18.
Nayeri, K.
(1970, January 01). Our Place in the World: A Journal of Ecosocialism.
Retrieved May 14, 2017, from http://forhumanliberation.blogspot.com/2016/12/2506-professors-watchlist-attacking.html?m=
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