Hate Speech In Colleges

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Hate speech has been a highly debated topic at colleges as of late. As more and more cases of protests and expulsions have popped up, deciding what to do with students using hate speech has been an issue. Many students, especially minority groups, feel threatened by the words of others. Colleges have begun trying to suppress this free speech by implementing speech codes and punishing students for racially charged actions. Colleges claim they have implemented this to protect their students and make their campus a safe space, or a place people can relax without being made uncomfortable. Others have protested against these rules, declaring them unconstitutional under the First Amendment. Although suppressing free speech will make students feel …show more content…
But, he shouldn’t have removed the fraternity or expelled the two students. The purpose of a university is to learn and discuss through dialogue. By suppressing the voices of students, you suppress their ability to learn. Discussion is the only way to learn the rationale behind the racist chants and attempt to persuade them that their thinking is wrong or flawed. For example, Derek Black, a former white nationalist, believed in very radical ideas. Most of his ideological standpoints were seen as offensive by his peers. Many of them threatened Derek, or called him names. But one Jewish man, Matthew Stephenson, asked him if he would like to come over for dinner. He believed that his rationale was formed because he never spent enough time with a minority to get to know them. Gradually, Matthew and Derek became friends and Derek’s viewpoints began to change. He started to doubt his past beliefs and ended up believing the exact opposite of what he used to believe in. He is now a leftist who supports Clinton and was scared of the ideologies of Trump, ideas he helped spread (Saslow). This shows the power of dialogue. If Derek’s freedom of speech was suppressed, he probably would still believe his white supremacist ideas. Him being able to freely express his opinions allowed others to interact with him and persuade him that his opinions are flawed. So, if the two …show more content…
The committee wrote an email to the student body asking students to steer clear from socially unaware and insensitive Halloween costumes. Erika wrote that students should be able to wear whatever they would like, even if it meant offending people (Stack). Her email lead to an argument between the student body and her husband, Nicholas, where the student body complained that he and his wife were not creating a ‘safe space’ for the students and demanded an apology. When he was unwilling to apologize, the students became outraged, cursing and yelling at Mr. Christakis (Stack). Jonathan Holloway, the dean of Yale, agreed with the original email, which advised students to be socially aware of people’s feelings and dress accordingly for Halloween. He claims he wants to get rid of the “poisonous atmosphere” minority groups are feeling
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