Free Speech Threatened on Campus? Experts Debate at Intelligence Squared

Watch the livestream here.

Are student activists a threat to the free speech climate on college campuses? Intelligence Squared will host a debate on the subject tonight at 6:30 p.m.

First Amendment lawyer and former ACLU board member Wendy Kaminer and Columbia University Linguistics Professor John McWhorter will argue that free speech is imperiled by illiberal activism. The University of Pennsylvania's Shaun Harper and Yale University's Jason Stanley will take the opposite view.

Watch a livestream of the debate below.

[Related: How Political Correctness Caused College Students to Cheer for Donald Trump]

Comments

[straffinrun]

This debate should be banned.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

This debate triggers me.

[straffinrun]

*Trigger Warning*
Too slow!

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Autoplay DEFINITELY triggers me.

[R C Dean]

Same here. If Reason goes to autoplay on its vids, I may have to leave the board.

[sarcasmic]

It's a live feed, not autoplay.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

It's an autoplay live feed.

[Akira]

"SIDNEY ? An estimated 30 Ohio school districts, including Sidney City Schools, include in their security plans guns that are locked in safes, ready to be used by trained staff in case an active shooter enters school grounds. - See more at: http://www.whio.com/news/news/.....uMxEK.dpuf"

http://www.whio.com/news/news/.....ady/nqbcc/

Oh no! Guns in schools?! More guns aren't the answer! I'm sure this will erupt in constant shootings at Sidney schools, just like our wise progressive overlords predict. Yes, I'd bet my whole paycheck that this policy will lead to massive bloodshed and carnage. Any day now.

[__Warren__]

Enough with your privilegespeech!

[SIV]

TEAM SNOWFLAKE holds that the concept of free speech stifles speech so I'm not seeing the argument that there is no threat to free speech.

[Fist of Etiquette]

"Only one side wins."

I don't like the sound of that!

[SIV]

Both sides participate so everyone gets the same trophy

[SIV]

Intelligence Squared is no Firing Line.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

+1 Bill Buckley.

[Fist of Etiquette]

She was outstanding.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

YOU'RE OUTSTANDING!

[Fist of Etiquette]

I'm out standing at my grill making myself a burger.

[Fist of Etiquette]

This guy is missing the point.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Okay, this guy is completely ignoring the investigations and official censorship.

[Fist of Etiquette]

"This is a university. We're not going to have a debate about genocide... That is outside the realm of free speech."

What the hell. This guy is for the motion? Stop helping!

[Fist of Etiquette]

Okay, this guy got better.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Okay, the gender studies director is starting out with an unbelievable anecdote. I'm out.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Re: Siv's comment about this being no firing line, holee shit. I'm currently listening to an old episode of firing line from the 90s debating America's influence over England, feat. Chris Hitchens. Then I watched a few minutes of the Jerry Springer debate above. My head hurt after 30 seconds.

[Fist of Etiquette]

It was all downhill after the first lady.

[GILMORE?]

Jason Stanley says free speech is clearly not threatened on campus because "this very debate" is proof it is not.

He didn't say anything about any of the "disinvited" people

"Shaun Harper", professor of gender AND africana? Intersections abound.

"Dr. Harper's research examines race and gender in education and social contexts, equity trends and racial climates on college campuses, Black and Latino male student success in high school and higher education, and college student engagement. He also occasionally writes about intercollegiate athletics. His newest book project is titled Scandals in College Sports (forthcoming 2016).

Dr. Harper has received over $11.4 million in grants to fund his research"

[GILMORE?]

Was the face-smearing of blood and childish screaming by students at Rutgers "Encouraging People to Consider" something? Was it "inviting people to engage"?

The dishonesty here by the Problematic-Harm proponents is staggering.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

The segment I'm watching now (painfully) is the notion that their attempt to raise the bar and deal with justice issues has 'increased' free speech is horseshit.

[GILMORE?]

Will anyone mention the "Spitting On Greg Lukianoff" incident @ Yale?

"Students at Yale University are reacting with outrage to the suggestion that freedom of expression trumps their sensitivities, allegedly even spitting on attendees at a free speech rally.

During a conference on "The Future of Free Speech" Friday evening hosted by the William F. Buckley, Jr. Program at Yale, student activists became incensed by a comment made by one of the speakers that was posted on social media, leading them to converge on the auditorium in an effort to disrupt the event, The Yale Daily News reports.

"I stand behind free speech, yes I do," Christakis said. "Even when it's offensive...especially when it's offensive."

The disruption was prompted by a remark from Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) and a speaker at the conference, who said, "[l]ooking at the reaction to [Silliman College Associate Master] Erika Christakis' email, you would have thought someone wiped out an entire Indian village.""

[GILMORE?]

Kudos to Kaminer for mentioning "Dis-invitations"

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Oh jesus, the guy just said that the speech codes only ban speech which isn't free. Fuckin' a on sinking barge!

[GILMORE?]

Shaun claims that no one is over-reacting to "little things like jokes"

Which is exactly what the Yale-spitting incident was.

[GILMORE?]

Jason Stanley now claims that no one over-reacts to "mere use" of slurs as descriptors

Which is exactly what happened at the U. Chicago when Dan Savage said, "Tranny"

[GILMORE?]

You'd think that both sides here would actually be better-prepared with their actual case-examples rather than one side saying, "speech codes are out of control" and the other going, "Its not even remotely a problem"

[GILMORE?]

University of South Carolina Wrongly Suspends Student for Racism

the "act of racism" was circulating a picture of someone writing on a board where the word "nigger" appeared.

[GILMORE?]

Shaun now claims that his racially-oppressed students NEVER say anything about speech codes to him!? ANECDOTE BURN!!

except, uhm....

http://www.thedemands.org/

just as a random example, Emory student demands =

" Emory University shall not protect the privilege of students to vocalize hate speech. The social app Yik Yak has been utilized on Emory's campus to post messages similar in sentiment to the following posts: "So Black people can complain about their fucking microaggressions and whatever but if I as a white person feel unsafe or uncomfortable for any reason, I'm ignorant. Fuck that", "I'm about to jack off to ebony porn to help race relations", and "Let's be real. Black lives matter is a sham. It's not because you're black. It's because you're selling crack and ran from a police officer." This is hate speech"

there are 77 different universities listed there with the same kinds of demands.

[GILMORE?]

This moderator really hasn't done fuck-all to actually forward the 'debate'.

Its been a quasi-spastic back and forth with no one ever actually speaking directly to the others points.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

It's more like a political debate. Ask question, candidate gives speech.

[GILMORE?]

Yeah.

[GILMORE?]

Wendy Kaminer wins the debate with the most important statement of the evening = "So What?"

[GILMORE?]

Kaminer strikes me as the most informed, articulate and practical-minded about this whole subject.

The academics come across as catty, self-important, and more interested in making grand pronouncements to capture some moral high ground...

[Heroic Mulatto]

The academics come across as catty, self-important, and more interested in making grand pronouncements to capture some moral high ground...

So you've read McWhorter's The Language Hoax too, I see.

[GILMORE?]

I've never read anything by the guy, tho i have a copy of his "This Magnificent Bastard Language" on my phone which i havent yet started.

[GILMORE?]

*bastard tongue. you know what i mean.

[GILMORE?]

I predict the gays win

[GILMORE?]

i lose

McWhorter looked like he just won Hollywood Squares