freedom of speech

Hey yall
Not sure if you yall familiar bout the recent report 'Defending Civilisation: How our Universities are Failing America' but I've decided to base my feature article (covering an issue in George Orwell's 1984) on it.

The report was triggured by a comment by Richard Bertholt, a History Professor at the University of New Mexico, who said to a class of students shortly after the September 11 attacks - "anyone who can blow up the Pentagon gets my vote" The comment ignited a furious debate about patriotism, freedom of opinion and the moral health of university campuses etc. YOu can find more about it on the site www.abc.net.au/rn/science/mind/s551733.htm

Personally, i feel the majority of people are ill-informed and are too easily pursuaded by the media and what the majority beleives to be true. I know the report hinted along the lines that university professors do not have the right to voice thier opinions, but are mererly there to teach the facts. But i beleive that universities should be helping us to formulate our own opinions - and the only way to do that is to be exposed to opinions that are contrary to our opinions and the opinions of the mainstream.

I would really appreciate any ideas or comments yall have concerning the right of professors in universities to voice their personal opinion etc. Cos i really need help for my feature article. if you could email any comments to me at [email protected] or on msn - that would be super helpful. thankyou soo much.

I believe we should have freedom of speech too. Opinions are what makes us individuals. If everyone had to conform to a certain standard, very soon the worlds of Goerge Orwell's 1984 or Aldous Huxley's Brave New World might become a reality. The lack of freedom of speech is what holds these worlds together, the lack of individualism. People objecting to freedom of speech are claiming the right of a totatitarian world. Regarding dictatorship, totalitarianism etc, would you be like John the Savage and "claim them all"?

[Chaos Tesseract]

I couldn't agree with you more Smernov. I believe that the complete and utter bias of most of the media is slowly degrading what America was supposed to be in the first place. The average joes of the U.S. are sheeple and will imdiately change their views to whatever the media or 'important people' (entertainers) are saying at the moment. As our morals decline, tolerence (the common defenition, and not the true definition) increases, and the government tells us more and more what to think do and be, we lose who we are, and our society begings to falter. Being able to saw what you want, when you want, is one of the resons America has done so well.

[imthefoolonthehill]

One thing that bugs me about Colleges and Universities is the lack of diversity.

Not Racial diversity, not sexual diversity, but political diversity.

at least 90% of Professors and faculty are liberal democrats. There are hardly any Conservatives or Republicans <- (more towards the middle rather than the right)

[DumbLikeAPoet]

One thing that bugs me about this statement "Not Racial diversity, not sexual diversity, but political diversity. " is the racial diversity part. Apparently you think that just because someone looks different the MUST think differently. That is not the case. So unless you want simply a diversity of color please rethink such statements.....

God Bless,
JonUs

[imthefoolonthehill]

YOU IDIOT!!!! HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY MAKE SUCH ASSUMPTIONS!!!

Your post makes no sense. How the heck did I assume that people with a different color of skin must think differently?

I cannot believe the idiocy of some people. My comments were not racist in any way. In the past, there have been some problems with racial exclusion... not it has been fixed. THerefore, there is enough racial diversity in colleges and universities today. Do you make a habit of speaking without thinking, or is this a rare occurance?

[SyZyGy]

Yes..... I would have to agree. DumbLikeAPoet should stop making such rash unbased accuasations. It sounds to me like either your daddy didnt hug you enough when you were young or possibly you yourself are what as known as an "ethnic minority." So stop assuming that everybody is against you and other ethnic groups..... the world is not on fire nor does it know of you... let alone care enough to take the effort to insult you.

[Munro]

Back to the topic though...I completely agree with Smernov, and in relation to the idea of University professors voicing their opinions, I recommend to anyone who is sickened by the propaganda you are forced to swallow by the media (i.e. Fox News Channel) Manufacturing Consent, by Noam Chomsky. Just out of curiosity, would the American members of this forum be able to tell me their opinion on the writings of the the likes of Chomsky and Gore Vidal?

[imthefoolonthehill]

(i.e. CNN - Corrupt News Network)

[Munro]

Lol, hehehe, very good. Talking about corrupt though, Fox News Channel, being owned by media tyrant Rupert Murdoch, was partly such a staunch supporter of America's war because Murdoch felt he needed to co-operate with the American government so it would not oppose his venture to buy DirecTV, which would making him the largest proprietor of cable-TV outlets in the world and increase his profits by...a lot. Part of the propaganda was in the interests of media owners.

[DumbLikeAPoet]

YOU IDIOT!!!! HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY MAKE SUCH ASSUMPTIONS!!!

Your post makes no sense. How the heck did I assume that people with a different color of skin must think differently?

I cannot believe the idiocy of some people. My comments were not racist in any way. In the past, there have been some problems with racial exclusion... not it has been fixed. THerefore, there is enough racial diversity in colleges and universities today. Do you make a habit of speaking without thinking, or is this a rare occurance?

I'm sorry I missunderstood your post(the one I quoted from) I have just been completely offended by the phrase Racial Diversity. I misread your post and I apologize.

JonUs

[imthefoolonthehill]

Apology accepted... sorry for blowing up... I am in no way racist... *checks blood pressure... one of these days Im gonna have a heart-attack*

[Sakkarah]

I'm glad we're all thinking alike. So much for individuality.

It's been shown in a study, that when children view violent tv programming they are more likely to behave, more violently playing with their peers, aggressively. Words structured in a certain way convey ideas of a certain sort. Thinking about getting in a fight may raise blood pressure levels. Speaking of it to another may inculcate the same reaction, but in the other. In a person of weak will, or weak personal ideology, this may cause a violent reaction. After a speech by David Duke some of his ideological subordinates may go hang a heavily pigmented person. The freedom to speak is outweighed by your freedom to exist.
Freedom of speech via freedom of religion. Religious ideologies are expressed through speech as well, resulting in ideological wars.
Words formulate ideas and ideas formulate words. Ideas are the roots of our existence and the only things keeping us in place. when pressure is exerted on the soul of our existence they hold us in that place where we so desire to remain. Then there are always those instances in which we succumb to the pressure. Our presumption of how the world works is altered. The Pressure snaps our body from our root. And when that pressure is insidious enough there is that moment where you have no other recourse but to strike.
Have you ever gotten in a fight before? That line, that (figment of a) belief that you cannot back down from, when something unforgivable occurred, wrenched up one of your ideas as to the way the world is supposed to function, and you strike.
All crime, wars, and suffering are the direct result of words.
Ideas, Speech, Religion, culture is something best not to have occurred in the first place.

Hey you ever duct tape cute little kittens, with their pretty blue eyes, to a concrete slab and drop cinder-blocks on them?

[Stanislaw]

I think, that politics have no place in the school system, proffesors will always represent their views and report a very biased data.

I think politicians should be expected to campaign for themselves, not propogandize the youth, like in Nazi Germany.

[Logos]

An old thread, `bumped' back to page one, that contains discussion of current politics, so it is now closed.