UNC President Erskine Bowles is asking a commission to study whether each of the university system's campuses should have a policy blocking hate speech, Mandy Locke reports in this story from the News & Observer.
Bowles was reacting to racist graffiti painted in the Free Expression Tunnel on the N.C. State campus after the Nov. 4 election. It declared, "Shoot that n----r in the head", among other things. The university is disciplining a student who took responsibility for initiating the painting, and four students involved have apologized. The state NAACP has asked that they be suspended. Neither state nor federal authorities have filed charges.
Bowles' concern about the racist speech is understandable. Intolerance and the promotion of violence have no place in a civil society, especially on a university campus. But there remains that other troubling question -- if the First Amendment is to truly mean anything, should it not protect even the most offensive speech? And if not, who decides where the line will be, and whether it moves?
It's also a sensitive issue for the university, which more than four decades ago suffered under the humiliation of a legislatively-imposed Speaker Ban Act that sought to prevent subversive speakers from appearing on state property, including university campuses. That law was passed by the General Assembly while Bowles was a student at Chapel Hill. That law threatened the university's accreditation and led to a prolonged campaign to have it declared unconstitutional, as it ultimately was.
Regulating speech is a tough question in a society that reveres its First Amendment rights to speak out -- but the university is within its rights and its responsibility to consider hate speech and what, if anything, to try to do about it.
What do you think?
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
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23 comments:
I think the conversation about this should have been over as soon as the kids admitted guilt and apologized. As soon as the UNC system starts telling kids they can no longer express themselves through speech, which is their first amendment right, they will begin acting out in other ways. I don't agree with what they wrote, but I would rather seem them writing it than acting upon it. The incident was reported, it was painted over, and the entire student body moved on. What's next, cameras in their dorm rooms?
this is going to be a slippery slope we are going fall down.
With comments like shoot the President elect in the head the students should be bought up on charges; the statement promoted violence; Secret Service should be involved.....
Welcome to the free world where you can say whatever you want as long as it does not offend anyone.
What's the differnce in the NCSU students and the Neo-Nazi's from TN who went to jail?
What does threatening to kill the President-elect have to do with free speech?
As a UNCC student, I wish hate speech of any kind would be banned. At UNCC there is a "free speech zone" at Belk tower where preachers are allowed to come onto campus whenever they please and yell obscene things to students in regards to gender, race, and sexual orientation (the latter being the most prevalent). It would be amazing to be able to attend college in an environment where all students feel welcome and no student has to put up with insults and verbal abuse.
Mr. Betts,
You should be embarrassed to call yourself a journalist and even entertaining this idea. But then, you do work for the Observer, where all speech is free so long as it glorifies uptown condo developments.
To the UNCC student above, just what kind of speech would you ban from the "Free Speech Zone" so that everyone could feel welcomed? The same preacher types have harangued people at Chapel Hill since anyone can remember. Strange that it's never discouraged progressive students from applying or staying.
And to think, universities used to be places where adolescents were made into responsible adults. Now, inquiry and the rigors of learning take a back seat to coddling intellectual cowards who can't bear to have their belief systems touched.
Free speech should be just that but tempered with common sense. I feel that I have a right to say anything I want to, however I whould think before doing so. Because of a physical deformity I have been on the receiving end of dumb remarks but those saying them had every right to speak even though they hurt. Mom told me the old saying about "Sticks and stones" so I began to ignore them. However, no speech should be banned, only highly criticized.
I think it can be summed up pretty easily. If you don't want to hear it then don't listen. No one is forcing people to listen to these speakers or read blogs or columns. If someone is paying them to do this then that is a different story. Where is the line drawn when we stop freedom of speach? I am a minority who has been hated upon. Ignorant people say ignorant things. Rise above it and walk past the rallies or turn the page with the nasty writing or don't read a blog that will upset you. Better yet, use your own freedom of speach to rebut and show them that you are a better, more intelligent person!
Ban it? No, have them sign their name to it instead of cowardly painting in the dark. Real artists stand by their work.
This is a slipper slope like you've said. Who is to define what is 'hate speech'.
It's become popular lately to define any criticism of the State of Israel as 'anti-semitic' - a completely different subject - as a way to keep people who are working to educate the American public about the issues from speaking freely on campuses.
There's hate speech and then there's speech certain groups just want to keep out of the public forum.
I agree with the commentators who said keep freedom of speech; we can all ignore it, walk by it or better yet, counter it with logical arguments if you disagree.
Who decides if it is hate or just another point of view? The Secret Service has already investigated and did not find cause to believe there was a threat to the Office of President Elect. Suppression of ideas and viewpoints is the first step to your loss of freedom. I may not agree with your point of view, but I will defend your right to express it.
Well when you use a racial slur and say kill someone that usually would be considered hate and just not another point of view. I agree with the poster who said this students should have to sign their work.
Just don't say anything bad about Israel. Because when you criticize a country, it's hate.
Of course they will, they already have banned Christmas displays at the library - a form of speech - due to someone complaining.
So why not ban any other form?
They're on the slippery slope and sliding fast.
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