Free Speech

It’s Just a Joke (Or is it?)

/ Jim / Leave a comment

 

569A7A58-A1D9-4035-A4EC-21648A63CF0D

People will get bent out of shape over the slightest appearance of offense. There’s nothing new in human nature about it, it’s just that with the advent of the Internet, and more recently, social media, it has become easier to find crowds of the offended and often a simple statement may go viral and the person that made the statement, or produced the video, will somehow become the focus of a derangement unheard of until the last dozen or so years. Sometimes, these innocuous utterances will even make national level news. Again, 20 years ago, no one would have ever heard, but because every journalist (or wanna be) is on social media, these are easily picked up and spread widely, over a short period of time.

Continue reading →

What’s Up With Academia?

/ Jim / 2 Comments

 

CB50B8AC-D07B-44D3-8963-3F66B0A06D88

We’re beginning to see more and more, that Higher Education is becoming no more than an echo chamber for those whose agenda is Social Justice, or whatever is perceived to be Social Justice, to them of course, without consideration the person(s) or the circumstances of those that are condemned for their views or their associations.  Of course, this started at the student level where protests and disruptions – even violent disruptions – would occur on campus because a few decided that an invited speakers’ views were so abhorrent to a small mob, that those views may not be heard, by anyone. These are the institutions which in the past have always welcomed reasoned discussion, even debate, because it was believed that even those views that may be disagreeable to some, would allow students to better understand the wider world. Not any longer.

Continue reading →

In Support of the Open forum

/ Jim / Leave a comment

 

938F0FE8-3681-4BBC-BACA-52752C21EA6A

I like an open discussion or debate.I’m not adverse to listening to positions that I may not agree with or even may find reprehensible. That’s the purpose of an open forum, to allow everyone a platform to discuss their ideas, and others to challenge them. I know there will be some that find it strange a conservative would hold may hold this view, but I think there are more of us that believe this than may be thought. Of course there are those that are very close minded, but I think that’s true no matter the political orientation. For every conservative anyone may name, I know I can counter with a liberal or progressive.

Continue reading →

Words Inciting Violence?

/ Jim / 1 Comment

 

E020B812-3F8D-4F7A-AA78-4834B9DE26C4

It hasn’t occurred overnight. It’s been coming for a long time and those that haven’t recognized what’s been going on now for a few years are either incapable of noticing a sea change or are willfully ignorant. What I’m referring to is the idea that words are violence and criticizing someone because of what they’ve said or done is inciting violence against that person. We’ve just heard this explicitly from Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) when  defending her fellow democrat, Ilhan Omar (D-MN) over a statement made in a speech where she referred to what happened on September 11, 2001, as some people did something.

Continue reading →

What Should be Done to Restore Free Speech For All on Campus?

/ Jim / 3 Comments

 

free speech

I’ve been following a discussion on Twitter concerning free speech. Not a lot, or in depth because I’m attempting to spend a lot less time on that platform that I used to, but a few minutes here, a few minutes there, during the day, I’ve noticed an extended dialogue on this very important topic in my mind. I didn’t peruse the thread as I normally would have, but I think I read enough, scrolling through, to get the gist of what was being said. MAybe not, but instead of participating there, I thought I may throw my two cents in here.

Continue reading →