"If there is a sex that deserves to be put in camps, I think women would enjoy being by themselves."

"Of all the threats to free speech on history, the one the media gives the most credibility to without question is the feminist movement, which is trying to rebrand public debate as harassment."

"Equality matters. But since no one cares about reducing the number of male suicides, how do we get those of female numbers up?"

—Milo Yiannopoulos

If one were to personify sexism, misogyny, Islamophobia, and conservatism into a singular entity, the person would probably come up with as Milo Yiannopoulos. The British editor of Breibart News has sparked a lot of controversy for his extremely offensive language - so offensive in fact that he was banned from Twitter. Yiannopoulos' outspoken nature is not above self-deprecation. He is openly gay, yet fervently believes that being gay is aberrant, gay rights are a sign of moral degradation, and that gay men should "pipe down and get back in the closet" as they are needed to have children and raise them in traditional family structures in order to stay ahead of the emerging Muslim world.

Yiannopoulos was set to make an appearance at UC Berkeley last week, a traditionally liberal campus known for its prevalent student activism. He was invited by the Berkeley College Republicans and was supposed to share his views on cultural appropriation. It was then no surprise that there was much opposition on campus towards Yiannopoulos coming to speak, but the amount of violence laden within the protests came to the surprise of many.

Fireworks and rocks were unabashedly thrown at the police. The windows of the student union center on the Berkeley campus, where Yiannopoulos was scheduled to speak, were smashed in. Metal barriers were torn down, fires were set near the campus bookstore, and there was a total of $100,000 worth of damage. 150 masked assailants, unaffiliated with the university, were blamed. Since then, UC Berkeley has released a statement that held that while Yiannopoulos' views were in stark contrast to those held by the university, it is our Constitutional duty as citizens to enable freedom of expression.

The protest has sparked national attention, with Donald Trump weighing in on the matter. He tweeted: "If U.C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view—NO FEDERAL FUNDS?" Many protestors hold the belief that the event was not a matter of free speech because Yiannopoulos employs hate speech. On the contrary, a substantial amount hold the belief that even though his words are viewed as hate speech, he still has the right to speak.

While I wholeheartedly disagree with Yiannopoulos' social views and politics, I find myself in the latter group. I fully support protesting the hate Yiannopoulos exemplifies, but not in such a violent matter. In doing so, we become the very thing we are protesting. Many, including myself, are victim to ostracizing those who have a different opinion than ourselves. But such a mindset hinders growth. It is through hearing the other side and having informed discussion and debate do we ever develop a truly solid foundation for our beliefs. Hearing the other side out is the only way we can ever dream of them hearing us out.