Is Your University Open Minded?
“In the United States of America, the higher education system has reliably been the foundation for new ideas, a platform for free thought, and the birthplace of open-mindedness. This is a good thing, right? ”
Don’t we want to encourage a community where everyone is included? Ideally, yes. Few would disagree about the importance of having an education system in which people are not barred from learning because of something they can’t change, such as race, gender, or ethnicity. But what happens when people are treated as inferior because of something they can control? What happens when a certain type of viewpoint is protested into submission? This is exactly what is happening on college campuses across America today.
In 2017, UC Berkeley was the site of massive protests against conservative and libertarian speakers Milo Yiannopolous, Ben Shapiro, Ann Coulter, and Laura Southern. These speakers are accustomed to demonstrations against them; they are intellectuals who argue ideas for a living and enjoy debating with protestors. However, it is impossible to debate with a firecracker, a baseball bat, a knife, or a flying rock. Constructive dialogue ends when people align with organizations that promote violence against others, such as the organization AntiFa on the radical left, and the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan on the radical right. With only 6,000 members, the Klan has little presence on college campuses anymore, leaving AntiFa as the leading inciters of violence. To be clear: violence aimed at silencing an opinion is never acceptable. Reminiscent of the Klan’s actions in years past, AntiFa’s attacks are not just to silence conservative provocateurs in order to “protect people,” as they claim, but to silence conservative speech entirely.
This is not only immoral, but illegal. Conservative speech, even fascist speech, as long as it does not incite violence, is protected by the First Amendment, as are expressions of a liberal point of view. However, conservative speech is so often dismissed as bigoted, and loudly condemned, that it is often hard for people with conservative perspectives to get a word in edgewise. Those with a conservative perspective, who might otherwise freely give their two cents on an issue, now keep quiet for fear of career-ending accusations of racism, sexism, and any other “ism” you can think of.
In today’s America, liberals and leftists are quicker than ever to label someone as intolerant, even for simply agreeing with an action our president has made. When people are so quick to write other viewpoints off, they teach their children to do the same. As colleges get more and more crowded with people like this, it becomes harder and harder to express contrarian ideas. As evidence, look no farther than Steven Crowder, a conservative comedian and internet host. You’ve likely heard of one of his recurring online talk show segments, perhaps even seen it in meme form. I’m talking about “Change My Mind.” As he has frequently explained to those who try to ‘change his mind’ in any given episode, he created it to encourage peaceful conversation. Heated conversation maybe (particularly on the college campuses where he records the “Change My Mind”: Texas Christian Universi, UT’s,, and Southern Methodist), but peaceful debate nonetheless. Recently, however, he has had masses of students protest his very presence on campus, claiming his viewpoints to be harmful, shouting obscenities at him and his crew, and diverting the attention of others away from his table. Crowder’s experience is a perfect example of the silencing of free speech on college campuses. He encourages people to rationalize their viewpoints, and never resorts to name-calling during the “Change My Mind” segments, but often only receives hatred in return.
Think about this when you apply to college. How open-minded is your university of choice, in reality? It may champion racial and cultural diversity. but does it foster diverse opinions? Is it a university that nurtures the development of young intellectuals? Or is it a daycare sheltering coddled children from viewpoints they disagree with? I encourage you to think about the example of Berkeley and make your decision carefully.
