Posted on 12/19/2015 12:47:56 PM PST by Steelfish
Politically Correct Universities 'Are Killing Free Speech' British universities have become too politically correct and are stifling free speech by banning anything that causes the least offence to anyone, academics argue
Javier Espinoza, and Gordon Rayner 18 Dec
British universities have become too politically correct and are stifling free speech by banning anything that causes the least offence to anyone, a group of leading academics warns on Saturday. A whole generation of students is being denied the “intellectual challenge of debating conflicting views†because self-censorship is turning campuses into over-sanitised “safe spacesâ€, they say.
Their intervention comes as an Oxford college considers removing a historic statue of Cecil Rhodes, one of its alumni and benefactors, because he is regarded as the founding father of apartheid in South Africa.
Oriel College says the statue of Rhodes, on a building he paid for, jars with the values of a modern university. It is facing a battle with Historic England, which has listed the statue as an object of historical interest.
Writing in TTelegraph, the academics, led by Frank Furedi, professor of sociology at the University of Canterbury, and Joanna Williams, education editor, Spiked, say it is part of a “long and growing†list of people and objects banned from British campuses, including pop songs, sombreros and atheists.
They say the “deeply worrying development†is curtailing freedom of speech “like never before†because few things are safe from student censors.
Because universities increasingly see fee-paying students as customers, they do not dare to stand up to the “small but vocal minority†of student activists who want to ban everything from the Sun newspaper to the historian David Starkey.
The letter says: “Few academics challenge censorship that emerges from students. It is important that more do, because a culture that restricts the free exchange
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
I reckon the sun never sets on stupid anymore as well.
” banning anything that causes the least offence to anyone,”
Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but in the UK, the truth is not a defense for libel. The banning of offensive speech would seem a natural consequence of such a notion.
“Common sense speech control”
The next logical step after “common sense gun control”
Maybe, but in fairness to the Brits, this crap is becoming/is just as bad here.
We the People may have free speech as a matter of our constitutional rights, but the American campus minority groups and social justice warriors ban it—especially for white males—anyway.
Of course. The difference is that the British legal system is “asking” for suppression of speech. Ours most assuredly does not. We are acting against our nature, the Brits not so much. To hear the Brits complain about it reminds me of the ancient postcard that showed a cow standing of one of her teats and bawling away.
“Politically Correct Universities ‘Are Killing Free Speech’”
All part of the plan to destroy western civilization.
Wow - PC was invented to enhance free speech/free expression.
And now it’s going to the dark side. :(
/sarc(?????)
Aren’t any of the students offended by political correctness? I know I sure am.
“Ours most assuredly does not. “
Like when our Executive branch of government states that the citizenry watches too much Fox News?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.