Is people's right to be offended killing free speech?

steddyeddy · 05-01-2016 09:45PM #1

Universities 'are killing free speech', says group of leading academics. Some academics believe that the free speech is being impeded for both students and academics and is being trumped by people's "right" not to be offended. I personally think that sometimes the power of offense has gone to far. Events last year where Tim Hunt who helped us understand how the cell itself divides was forced to resign over someone being offended and the scientist who landed a rocket on a comet was forced to make an apology on TV over wearing a comic book t-shirt. These people were perceived as having different views (both wrongly perceived) and were both fired.

Are we at stage where we just shout down opposing views and get rid of the person holding them? Is the art of debate dead or do we just block out opposing views? A teacher I had was fond of saying people from a certain area hadn't got the aptitude for college. Obviously he was proved wrong and that's the point. People and their views have no power over you. If you feel offended just remember it's an opinion that can be challenged and not a fact. I think we're going in dangerous directions by being too PC.

Universities are "killing free speech" by banning anything that causes offence, a group of leading academics have warned.
Students are being denied the opportunity to debate opposing views due to political correctness and censorship, the group argued in a letter published in The Telegraph.
Academics led by Frank Furedi, a professor at the University of Canterbury, said universities see students as customers and do not dare to stand against them.

The letter argued universities are curtailing freedom of speech “like never before” and also concluded that “students who are offended by opposing views are perhaps not yet ready to be at university”.
The group have called on vice-chancellors to promote freedom of speech and battle against censorship.
The statement comes after a campaign at an Oriel College at Oxford University to remove a statue of Cecil Rhodes, an alumnus and benefactor, because he is regarded as being the founding father of apartheid in South Africa.

Fleawuss · 05-01-2016 09:48PM

I fully support your right to free speech......in Politics Cafe!

mynamejeff · 05-01-2016 09:49PM

Fleawuss wrote: »

I fully support your right to free speech......in Politics Cafe!

O the irony !!

W1zardst · 05-01-2016 09:52PM

Muslims.

silverharp · 05-01-2016 09:53PM

your right to free speech used to end at my face, now its my safe space and if that happens to be planet wide tough tits! :pac:

RustyNut · 05-01-2016 09:53PM

Fleawuss wrote: »

I fully support your right to free speech......in Politics Cafe!

I find your lack of support for free speech in AH to be offensive.

Turtwig · 05-01-2016 09:54PM

Society will always have a tendency towards echo chambers and peer censoring on unwanted opinions. I think we're not that bad though. Double standards are our biggest problem right now. Some groups are more protected and more influential at getting protection than others. That is somewhat worrying. It's a viable tactic nowadays to paint all holders of a certain spectrum of opinions with the same extreme brush rather than actually discuss the nuance of the points being made.

Fleawuss · 05-01-2016 09:56PM

RustyNut wrote: »

I find your lack of support for free speech in AH to be offensive.

I am outraged by your taking offense. I intend to remain outraged for several nanoseconds.

Mourinho · 05-01-2016 09:59PM

I've read about this before where students want novels banned because they simply mention slavery, have sexist language etc

The ironic thing being these types getting offended and wanting this and that banned are the same ones that cry and scream about right wing parties/anyone the mentions immigration control/insert many other issues here as being racist, intolerant, Nazis, fascists, etc

There actions are nothing but fascism under a different flag pure and simple, they have just deluded themselves into thinking they are right and must enforce these views on everyone else.

The Backwards Man · 05-01-2016 10:00PM

Is it a coincidence that the amount of people who continually whinge and moan about their lack of free speech is roughly the same as the amount of people who would be much better off keeping their opinions to themselves?

MRnotlob606 · 05-01-2016 10:01PM

free peach

For Forks Sake · 05-01-2016 10:03PM

Fleawuss wrote: »

I am outraged by your taking offense. I intend to remain outraged for several nanoseconds.

You should then start a change.org petition, that'll change the system man.

Custardpi · 05-01-2016 10:04PM

These academics are obviously all white cis males with an imperialist hetero-normative agenda. They should check their privilege & educate themselves on the psychic pain their hateful harrassment campaign will no doubt cause anyone who disagrees with them. Obviously their universities should also fire them & compensate any student (or indeed anyone else) affected by their bigotry.

dirtyden · 05-01-2016 10:04PM

Someone landed a comet on the moon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How did this slip by me last year?

I actually don't believe in free speech either. I don't think people should be allowed freely incite hatred or insult or intimidate others without consequence.

jacksie66 · 05-01-2016 10:05PM

This post has been deleted.

DuMorph · 05-01-2016 10:08PM

MRnotlob606 wrote: »

free peach

Freeze Beach!

MRnotlob606 · 05-01-2016 10:13PM

Mark Hamil is still on Skellig Michael. We need to get him the **** off there quickly or he will b eaten by puffins,

4zn76tysfajdxp · 05-01-2016 10:15PM

Mourinho wrote: »

I've read about this before where students want novels banned because they simply mention slavery, have sexist language etc

Heh. They just don't get it.

Aineoil · 05-01-2016 10:27PM

Steddyeddy, you pose a very interesting question on the issue of free speech.

I don't think I get offended easily...but...

I have worked worked in various workplaces where people who have the most opinions speak the loudest and freeze out people who don't agree with them.

My free speech doesn't even get a voice.

The_Valeyard · 05-01-2016 10:29PM

Bill Maher had a good speech about this recently.

Captain Slow IRL · 05-01-2016 10:32PM

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Is it a coincidence that the amount of people who continually whinge and moan about their lack of free speech is roughly the same as the amount of people who would be much better off keeping their opinions to themselves?

It's like pro-lifers; they're among the ones that should have been aborted.

Custardpi · 05-01-2016 10:55PM

Captain Slow IRL wrote: »

It's like pro-lifers; they're among the ones that should have been aborted.

Exactly. It's completely unacceptable that people who disagree with you are allowed to exist.

sunshine and showers · 05-01-2016 10:56PM

You don't have a right to free speech in Ireland. You've seen too many American TV shows.

RustyNut · 05-01-2016 11:08PM

dirtyden wrote: »

Someone landed a comet on the moon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How did this slip by me last year?

I actually don't believe in free speech either. I don't think people should be allowed freely incite hatred or insult or intimidate others without consequence.

Maby my sarcasm detector is not working but do you really think that insulting people should be banned?

There goes my fun when the politicians come calling.

Canadel · 05-01-2016 11:11PM

steddyeddy wrote: »

Events last year where Tim Hunt who helped us understand how the cell itself divides was forced to resign over someone being offended and the scientist who landed a rocket on a comet was forced to make an apology on TV over wearing a comic book t-shirt. These people were perceived as having different views (both wrongly perceived) and were both fired.

Exactly. The public didn't fire them, their employers did. People have a right to say what they want like the two scientists you mention, and others have a right to be offended by what they say and to express that offence. That's how free speech works. Sometimes, like life, it's not fair.

05-01-2016 11:14PM

There's no easy answer to this question. What people find offensive varies wildly among different demographics and social classes.

Unlimited free speech sounds wonderful in theory but it's a pipe dream because, sadly, there are too many violent and/or idiotic bigoted people in the world whose existence necessitates laws against incitement to hatred.

I don't agree with shutting down speakers whose views may be controversial, provided that they're not actually inciting violent hatred against someone (Germaine Greer comes to mind here; she may talk a lot of shíte but I highly doubt she actually wants transgender people to be killed or anything); it's better to challenge those types of people and defeat them with sensible, rational arguments.

But not everyone is willing to listen to reason or debate, sadly. There are hate groups out there (and, taking the US as an example, plenty of them) and hateful, violent ideologies (either far-left or far-right), and because of that it makes sense to me that there has to be some sort of measures in place to curb the most oppressive and dangerous ideologies from reaching a large audience. Nobody should be forced to entertain extremist groups because "waah waaah free speech waaah".

dirtyden · 05-01-2016 11:16PM

RustyNut wrote: »

Maby my sarcasm detector is not working but do you really think that insulting people should be banned?

There goes my fun when the politicians come calling.

It depends on the context and the impact and what has been said. But things like verbal bullying should not be tolerated yes. Slagging etc is fine but there is a line that can be crossed where slagging can become more sinister.

Perhaps the wording of my previous post was not fantastic, obviously a simple insult is generally a minor thing.

silverharp · 05-01-2016 11:18PM

Canadel wrote: »

Exactly. The public didn't fire them, their employers did. People have a right to say what they want like the two scientists you mention, and others have a right to be offended by what they say and to express that offence. That's how free speech works. Sometimes, like life, it's not fair.

if a guy who managed to "land a comet on the moon" can get fired because of a tumblr mob not liking his shirt, we are in PC hell, its means self censorship to the point that some well known academics have moved to Japan do be done with it. its the tyranny of the mentally damaged

Custardpi · 05-01-2016 11:22PM

sunshine and showers wrote: »

You don't have a right to free speech in Ireland. You've seen too many American TV shows.

Generally when people argue in favour of "free speech" they are speaking of the general principle involved, not stating a particular legal standpoint, though obviously in some jurisdictions the legal system will be more favourable to the free expression of ideas than others. To use an analogy, if I say I'm in favour of people being allowed to smoke marijuana (subject to regulation, driving restrictions etc) that doesn't mean I'm stating that it's currently legal in Ireland to do so.

Canadel · 05-01-2016 11:22PM

silverharp wrote: »

if a guy who managed to "land a comet on the moon" can get fired because of a tumblr mob not liking his shirt, we are in PC hell, its means self censorship to the point that some well known academics have moved to Japan do be done with it. its the tyranny of the mentally damaged

If an employer deems it necessary to fire an employee because of a tumblr mob not liking his shirt, we are in employment hell. Also, the right of that mob to express their views is as important as landing a comet on the moon.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i · 05-01-2016 11:30PM

Mourinho wrote: »

I've read about this before where students want novels banned because they simply mention slavery, have sexist language etc

The ironic thing being these types getting offended and wanting this and that banned are the same ones that cry and scream about right wing parties/anyone the mentions immigration control/insert many other issues here as being racist, intolerant, Nazis, fascists, etc

There actions are nothing but fascism under a different flag pure and simple, they have just deluded themselves into thinking they are right and must enforce these views on everyone else.

Are they though? Or are you just making an assumption?

I'm two ways about the question in the OP.

Free speech is incredibly important, just don't he a twit about it. At the same time, people can be incredibly sensitive regarding certain topics.

Is people's right to be offended killing free speech?

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