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Civil Liberties

In Tweet, Edward Snowden Scolds Those Who Censor Speakers on Campuses

'An individual trying to limit speech at universities is interested in neither university nor justice.'

Robby Soave | 10.13.2015 11:30 AM

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Large image on homepages | Snowden
(Snowden)
Snowden
Edward Snowden

Edward Snowden tweeted his support for free speech on campuses after being asked to denounce leftist students who disinvite speakers.

After Snowden wrote that "social justice is common sense," another Twitter user replied: "Can you please direct that at SJWs that uninvite speakers at universities because their views may be offensive to some?" The acronym "SJW" is shorthand for "social justice warrior," a derogatory reference to far-left activists, often of the feminist persuasion.

In reply to the reply, Snowden wrote:

An individual trying to limit speech at universities is interested in neither university nor justice. https://t.co/JHNEbIAfa3

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) October 13, 2015

At least one former fan tweeted that he was un-following the NSA leaker because Snowden has unmasked himself as a GamerGate supporter, as if belief in the necessity of free speech for college speakers were an exclusive stance of the GamerGate movement (it's not).

In any case, it's great to see Snowden—who is rightly considered a hero to most libertarians—criticize the anti-liberal tendencies of the college censorship regime.

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NEXT: The Beer Companies Behind Budweiser and Miller Lite Are Merging. There's No Need for Regulators to Get Involved.

Robby Soave is a senior editor at Reason.

Civil LibertiesCultureEdward SnowdenCampus Free SpeechFree Speech
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  1. Swiss Servator   10 years ago

    At least one former fan tweeted that he was un-following the NSA leaker because Snowden has unmasked himself as a GamerGate supporter, as if belief in the necessity of free speech for college speakers were an exclusive stance of the GamerGate movement (it's not).

    So long, Bo!

    1. Almanian's Rusty Woodchipper   10 years ago

      Haha!!

    2. Pl?ya Manhattan.   10 years ago

      Gamergate psychopath!1!1!!
      Pay more attention to your children11!!!!!

    3. Episiarch   10 years ago

      You mean Tulpa.

    4. Episiarch   10 years ago

      You mean Tulpa.

    5. Loki   10 years ago

      I haven't seen him in a while. Did he slink away after being outed as another Tulpa sock?

  2. Fist of Etiquette   10 years ago

    I'm not sure Snowden knows what social justice is all about.

  3. Doctor Whom   10 years ago

    GamerGate is the all-purpose bogeyman du jour. One of our tomatoes spoiled; I blame GamerGate.

    1. Notorious UGCC   10 years ago

      Yeah, go after those scapegoats!

      We here at Opus Dei are good at covering our tracks and making it look like our crimes were committed by male chauvinist video gamers.

    2. Corning   10 years ago

      GamerGate is the all-purpose bogeyman

      Correction:

      GamerGate is the free speech bogeyman.

      I could not be more proud.

      sniff

      *wipes tear from eye.

  4. Notorious UGCC   10 years ago

    "as if belief in the necessity of free speech for college speakers were an exclusive stance of the GamerGate movement (it's not)."

    I'm still not 100% sure what GamerGate is about. Apparently there was a problem with video-game reviewers being too politically correct, or too slutty, or something.

    All I know is that one side of the dispute seems to contain a lot of feminists and now, apparently, some people who are in favor of college censorship.

    1. Illocust   10 years ago

      Disclosure. Video game reviewers in magazines were reviewing their roommates games and games that they had financially contributed to without disclosing their connection. The event that sparked it was because an indie game creator had an affair with a reviewer that then listed the game as one of the hot new indie games of the year without disclosing any relationship with the game creator.

    2. monkofmimmr   10 years ago

      The most interesting part of gamergate is that fact that on social issues they're staunchly libertarian.

      They actively promote free speech, egalitarianism, diversity of opinion and meritocracy. They are also probably the least racist/sexist/etc group of people I've ever encountered (which makes the accusations against them even more ironic).

      1. Notorious UGCC   10 years ago

        "(which makes the accusations against them even more ironic)."

        It would be ironic if it hadn't developed into a pattern - prog-jecting their own racism onto innocent people.

  5. sarcasmic   10 years ago

    Social justice is institutionalized injustice. But it's injustice against bad people, so that makes it good.

  6. Mongo   10 years ago

    Another Snowden tweet:

    i wanna bend Miko Grimes over a hot stove lolol #noblackgirlsinrussia

    1. Atanarjuat   10 years ago

      For some reason, several of the Russian porns I've seen have black male "actors". No females though. I guess they might be the children of immigrants from whatever African country Russia is closest allies with. Or maybe the children of American commies dumb enough to actually go to the Soviet Union.

      1. Mongo   10 years ago

        Thanks for the info -- I'll have to do some further research....

        1. Atanarjuat   10 years ago

          "No females though."

          That reads funny. Just to clarify, there were females. It's just they were all white.

        2. Atanarjuat   10 years ago

          Please report back with your findings.

      2. Heroic Mulatto   10 years ago

        I know of a Sierra Leonese/Ukrainian couple who met over in Russia.

  7. The Shrubber's Woodchipper   10 years ago

    I predict Snowden's imminent withdrawal from the Twittersphere.

    1. Pl?ya Manhattan.   10 years ago

      I predict that Snowden will end up like Mumia, giving graduation speeches from prison.

      1. The Shrubber's Woodchipper   10 years ago

        At what university will he pass thru the SJW rage machine?

        1. Pl?ya Manhattan.   10 years ago

          Caltech? MIT?

          Somewhere that's not famous for liberal arts?

          1. Heroic Mulatto   10 years ago

            MIT only after Chomsky shuffles off this mortal coil. Even then, Cambridge, MA dude.

            Likewise, are you saying SJW-ery has a hold over the many small Catholic and other sectarian liberal arts schools in the country? Look for the confounding variable; the NSA isn't full of humanities majors.

  8. Rufus J. Firefly   10 years ago

    Being a SJW is a careful melange of Nazi-socialism and retardation.

    With a delicate hint of Twist Shandy.

    1. Loki   10 years ago

      And a couple cups of smug. Don't forget the smug, it's the most important ingredient.

  9. GILMORE?   10 years ago

    I tried following the twitter-threads below his comment.

    I feel like i'm losing faith in humanity bit by bit every day. Its nice that 1-in-10 seem to agree with Snowden, but most of the twitter mob seems utterly aghast and confused that their Idol would countenance the idea of Free Speech sans any necessary caveats.

    1. Corning   10 years ago

      "but most of the twitter mob seems utterly aghast and confused that their Idol would countenance the idea of Free Speech sans any necessary caveats."

      Snowden's tweet has 2800+ and rising favorites....

      I don't blame you for misreading the mood of a tweet. twitter is cumbersome and horrible to read.

      But yeah you misread what is going on.

    2. Mr. Flanders   10 years ago

      If you read the replies to some of the people expressing opinions in opposition to Snowden's tweet, you'll find that most of them are actually quite reasonable.

  10. MJGreen - Docile Citizen   10 years ago

    At least one former fan tweeted that he was un-following the NSA leaker because Snowden has unmasked himself as a GamerGate supporter

    To which, I assume, Snowden replied, "What's a gaming gate?"

    The guy's trying to stay alive in Russia and speak about privacy and technology. I doubt he knows who Zoe Quinn is. Morons.

  11. Corning   10 years ago

    "as if belief in the necessity of free speech for college speakers were an exclusive stance of the GamerGate movement (it's not)."

    Poor Robby.

    Did the big bad gamergate steal your porridge?

  12. Bill Dalasio   10 years ago

    ...Snowden wrote that "social justice is common sense,"...

    Okay, given my otherwise respect for his service to this country, I'll give this one a pass. It's entirely possible that, given he went from NSA cocoon to living in Russia, he views "social justice" as objecting to state-sponsored thuggery.

    If he really did believe in the modern social justice doctrines, he should check his cis-hetero white male privilege and turn himself in to the appropriate authorities. Worrying about communications privacy is clearly purview of affluent, or at least middle class, elements of the bourgeois patriarchy.

  13. Joe M   10 years ago

    The evil GamerGaters want to let you say whatever you want! Diabolical!

  14. Corning   10 years ago

    "At least one former fan tweeted that he was un-following the NSA leaker because Snowden has unmasked himself as a GamerGate supporter"

    http://archive.is/LAGv5

    Unsurprisingly he is a professor of journalism....

    http://mj.unc.edu/directory/faculty/andy-bechtel

    1. Corning   10 years ago

      You know what other journalists name drop gamergate?

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