Before anyone accuses me of being something I’m not, I’d like to state right here that I am in full support of the LGBTQ+ community, I avidly support women’s rights (including abortion and birth control), I believe in equality and know that something needs to be fixed in regard to certain workings in the United States, and I am not a religious, “bigoted” conservative or anything of the sort. I’m just a college student struggling to understand why it seems that my liberal peers are so against the freedom of speech.
I know that free speech doesn’t mean hate speech, I know that making threats or verbally assaulting someone is not right, and I know that certain things affect certain people in a very negative way. However, just because you don’t agree with something that someone says, or you don’t agree with something that someone stands for, that does not mean they have no right to say those things or believe those things. Since I’ve been at college, I’ve gotten a much better look at just how volatile those leaning heavily on the left can be; and while I don’t want to make a blanket statement and assume everyone is the same, I’m just basing this on what I have seen so far. Recently, Ithaca College invited the writer of "Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook" to speak on campus. Antifa, while being a group with a strong belief driving it, is, according to news and videos I have personally seen, a seemingly violent and destructive group.
I was quite shocked that someone who was a part of a violent organization was allowed on our campus with absolutely no notable backlash from students or faculty to my knowledge. However, recently a speaker was invited to campus who was going to speak on gun rights, and people were outraged. Yes, he has controversial and notably (in my opinion) negative racial and discriminatory views, but he was not coming to speak on race. A friend told me there were at least a hundred students avidly protesting this speaker. I understand people have a right to protest and right to their opinions, but I’ve noticed the more right leaning students are much more mature in their practices.
People don’t seem to understand that if you dislike people or what they stand for, you don’t necessarily have to listen to them. If you are upset at a speaker for some reason, just don’t go to their event. If others want to go see this speaker, they have the right to do so. Who are you to run a speaker off a campus, just because you don’t agree with them? Just don’t go! It really isn’t that hard. If the speaker was knocking on your door and verbally harassing you, then I would understand why you feel the need to hold protests in order to run said speaker off of campus. If you want people to respect your right to free speech, as well as respect your preferred speakers' right to free speech, what gives you the right to disrespect the other side's right to free speech?
I entered college expecting it to be very liberal, which was exciting to me. I expected an inclusive and accepting environment that was easy-going and respectful towards everyone’s beliefs. But that is not what I encountered. I encountered a group of people who are hostile to those who don’t share their beliefs, and who don’t know how to respect the freedom of speech. The KKK is not coming to speak on campus, nor are Nazis coming to speak on campus. And a speaker that you disagree with is certainly not coming to speak on campus and personally attack you. At my college in particular, when Antifa, or rather someone directly affiliated with Antifa, came to speak on campus, I was fairly frightened.
As left-leaning as I am, I know that Antifa is a violent organization. I also know of an Ithaca College student who was physically attacked by members of Antifa not so long ago, at a vigil for the tragedy in Charlottesville. He was attacked simply for wearing a "Young Americans for Liberty" hat, and he did not disrupt any speakers' speech. This student also happens to be the president of the IC Republicans at Ithaca College. Ithaca College, despite this past event, let the speaker come, and as far as I know, there was no backlash nor protest. The man that came to speak on gun rights does have some, (once again, my in opinion) unsavory and racist views, but like I said before, that is not what he came to speak about.
If liberal speakers, even radical ones, have the right to come speak on campus without facing intense backlash, why don’t speakers of other political beliefs deserve that same respect? I overheard something about the possibility of Ben Shapiro coming to speak on campus, and my stomach immediately sank. I thought about the riots on college campuses in the past year or so that were the result of students being upset about a conservative speaker, and I became fearful. This is not a response I expected to have, but it was my instinct to be afraid. I do not agree with a lot of what Ben Shapiro says, but I still would love to attend a speech of his. I think he is a well-spoken person, and just because I don’t agree with everything he believes, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to go. If anything, it would help me to become more knowledgeable about the other side, and that’s how I see it. I see it as an opportunity to hear an opinion that isn’t mainstream and the same as mine, and I think that is very important; and if I were personally offended by something he said in the past, I just wouldn’t go. Honestly, if I felt the need to go and make my voice heard, I would go and ask a question. I wouldn’t light fires or create chaos that, in such a situation, would do nothing but perpetuate the right’s image of the left. If you don’t want to go to a speaker's event, but you don’t want to ask a question at it, just don’t go. It does not affect you if you are not there.
I don’t understand why there is so much resilience on both sides to understand one another, but I do not understand why a speaker with a different opinion causes people to become so offended and upset that they become destructive. Next time someone you don’t agree with politically speaks at your school, maybe go ask a question instead of throwing that empty water bottle at them. Instead of lighting that fire, just don’t go to the speech. Instead of causing chaos, just be respectful. Once again, I believe in the people’s right to protest, I understand that people have feelings, and I understand that you don’t have to respect everyone and their beliefs. But unless someone is threatening you, harassing you, or personally targeting you, what right do you have to tell them they cannot speak?