Free speech is fundamental to democracy and education. It protects us from the suppression of ideas and dissent.
College campuses are among the last bastions of democracy -- spaces where individuals representing a wide spectrum of humanity can congregate to share, challenge, refute, and embrace ideas. But can one really say whatever one feels, inside or outside classrooms?
In the wake of campus protests across the country, the debate around free speech, political correctness, and safe spaces has surged. Simply, free speech allows you to say what you want, and the community has the right to express favor and disfavor. That is how our mores are shaped, and political correctness is simply a way of respecting others in that process -- especially underrepresented groups in any given community.
Developing safe spaces is a response to the marginalization and disrespect toward minority students, who often are the only representative of their group in a class. Studies consistently show that minority students experience isolation and disrespect from both other students and professors at a much greater rate than majority students.
If you are not the only in your class, it is shortsighted to hide behind free speech when that speech recklessly maligns entire communities of people.
No single idea is out of bounds, but it should be expressed to foster an exchange of ideas. Professors demanding that classroom dialogues reflect civility and respect for all is not a violation of free speech. It is a call to recognize the humanity in others and the validity of divergent views.
My name is Joseph Flynn, and that is my perspective.
