![]() Institutions like BU, after all, are built on and fueled by the status quo. This was a really shameful move on BU’s end, but not surprising. The truth is that regardless of what you think of Shapiro himself, allowing him on campus with THIS particular topic, “America wasn’t built on slavery,” is a huge affront to black and brown students, and a huge support to white racists at the expense of BU’s diverse student body. ![]() I’m glad that BU isn’t as closed-minded as I had previously thought.Īlfred Schutt, November 14, 2019, 9:57 amĬloaking this in balance and neutrality is truly emblematic of BU, and many American institutions just like it. You’d rather censor an opposing voice than hear what it might have to say, and that’s concerning for the future of our country and freedom of speech. Ben Shapiro does have a rocky past, but he is a representative of a different set of beliefs. The title of this event was obviously provocative, and likely for a reason. Speaking as a young, “straight white male” (as I’ve been labeled), most of us do condemn the actions of the alt-right. You see the crazy people who dress up like Nazis for attention. White, straight, cisgendered people are fine for the most part. No one is claiming that there’s a US law specifically banning “hate speech,” but rather that “hate speech,” a recognizable legal concept, can be illegal when it has a sufficiently close nexus to imminent lawless action. The original comment and my first response to you both are making the point that there are times when the First Amendment does not protect hate speech. Hate speech is legal-up to the point that it is likely to produce imminent lawless action. The legal concept of “hate speech” is discussed in multiple Supreme Court decisions. “Hate speech” is a legal concept even though the US does not have European style hate speech laws. The original comment stated that “There is a line where hate speech is not protected as it becomes an assault.” You responded that “‘Hate Speech’ is not an actual concept as it pertains to law.” This is incorrect. You’re trying to refute an argument that no one is making. Quite the opposite.īU graduate student, November 14, 2019, 9:54 am This experiment has been tried many times over-in fact, it still exists in the world-and it never ends in the utopia you’d expect. You may deem certain speech, words, or even syllables to be full of “hate,” but they do not equate to physical “assault.” As a mental exercise, try to imagine a society where words are equated with physical violence, where speech is policed by law, where the offense that someone takes can be grounds for penalization. To the extent that speech can be hateful, it is protected under the 1st Amendment. “Hate Speech” is not an actual concept as it pertains to law. Unlike other Western countries without such protections, we don’t ban controversial speakers on the basis of hurt feelings, much like we do not throw comedians in jail for off-color jokes.įirst Amendment, November 14, 2019, 8:37 am There is no such thing as “hate speech” in the United States, precisely because of our magnificent 1st Amendment. La liberté des uns s’arrête là où commence celle des autres,” a famous French quote which translates to “The freedom of some ends where the freedom of others begins.” Please think deeply about this principle of living in harmony in a multicultural society.Īli Guermazi, School of Medicine professor of radiology, November 14, 2019, 7:36 am Click on a link below to reply directly, or leave your own comment at the bottom of this article. As Nobel Peace Prize winner Bishop Desmond Tutu said in a 2004 address at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg, South Africa, “Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument.”īelow is a selection from the many comments posted in the wake of Shapiro’s speech. Rather, it is to further the conversation, and encourage it, by choosing some of the most thoughtful comments that have been posted, and to encourage more of them. Our point here is not to highlight the differences in the views being shared. Genuine emotion can be felt in the commenters’ words, reflecting feelings from anger to pain and sadness to support. And they are debating whether his talk, at the invitation of the BU student chapter of the conservative youth activism organization Young Americans for Freedom (YAF), should have been allowed to happen here. On Twitter, on Facebook, and in the comments on the various stories about the event posted on BU Today, people are sharing heartfelt sentiments about Shapiro’s words. But the conversation around the conservative commentator, blogger, and podcaster’s speech Wednesday night about the legacy of slavery before a packed audience of 1,500 at the Track & Tennis Center continues to reverberate.
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