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Basically all colleges and populations in the US have a strong subset of anti-free speech feeling, with an equal amount between conservatives and liberals on ca

Basically all colleges and populations in the US have a strong subset of anti-free speech feeling, with an equal amount between conservatives and liberals on campus: https://kf-site-production.s3.amazonaws.com/publications/pdfs/000/000/184/original/FreeSpeech_campus.pdf https://kf-site-production.s3.amazonaws.com/publications/pdf... Some questions the poll asked and the responses Do you think colleges should or should not be able to establish policies that restrict each of the following types of speech or expression on campus? How about ... ? Expressing political views that are upsetting or offensive to certain groups Results: % Should be able to restrict: Democrats: 26% Independents: 27% Republicans 25% % Should not be able to: Democrats: 72% Independents: 73% Republicans 75% If you had to choose, do you think it is more important for colleges to [ create a positive learning environment for all students by prohibiting certain speech or expression of viewpoints that are offensive or biased against certain groups of people, (or to) create an open learning environment where students are exposed to all types of speech and viewpoints, even if it means allowing speech that is offensive or biased against certain groups of people]? Results: % Open environment/Allow offensive speech: Democrats: 66% Independents: 70% Republicans 66% % Positive environment/Prohibit certain speech: Democrats: 30% Independents: 24% Republicans 29% As you may know, student protesters on some campuses attempted to prevent members of the media from reporting on their protest. Do you think students should or should not be able to prevent reporters from covering protests held on college campuses? Results: % Yes, should: Democrats: 29% Independents: 29% Republicans 25% % No, should not: Democrats: 69% Independents: 70% Republicans 74%

ApolloFortyNine 9y ago
Vast majority? Does 1/4 not freak you out? Especially for: Expressing political views that are upsetting or offensive to certain groups Results: % Should be able to restrict: Democrats: 26% Independents: 27% Republicans 25% That is actually terrifying, since if this rule ever got passed, the US would essentially become a one party state.
- drewbuschhorn 9y ago
  Which one party? I don't mean that factiously. The fact that the percentage is so similar tells me it's more a human effect than a particular belief system effect, and so the mechanisms that worked in the past to fight it will continue to do so. We still have to do the fighting, but singling out Berkeley is pointless and obscures the issue.
  - Jotra7 9y ago
    The corporate oligarchy party.
- sidlls 9y ago
  It is already a one party state, effectively: the party being the wealthy and connected. "R vs. D" is a distraction.
pdelbarba 9y ago
People, in general, don't like to hear/see things that challenge their world view. A good example of this is the LGBT movement. It's opposition is a bunch of, to us, very weird arguments about family but the reality is that some traditional people don't like seeing unusual couples in public (this happened before with inter-racial relationships). On the other hand, the people on college campuses who are inside a decidedly liberal bubble, don't want to see Milo wander by and spew his nonsense, disregarding the fact that it does no harm to them for him to just babble at people.
- throwanem 9y ago
  That's not really a fair characterization, I think. For one thing, I've been lukewarm at best on the "LGBT movement", as you have it, for most of my life - and I really don't think that's because I "don't like seeing unusual couples in public", being as I'm gay myself and have been party to a few "unusual couples" in my own right. None of the conversations I've had, with others who weren't unalloyed supporters of the movement or indeed supporters at all, suggest that their own concerns were so shallowly founded, either. I don't doubt that there are people who just don't like to see two men, or two women, holding hands. But I find no reason, of my own experience, to suspect they are any less outliers in that regard than some might imagine I myself must be.
  - Danihan 9y ago
    What are your reasons for being lukewarm about the movement? On second thought, you might want to keep those to yourself. I'm not sure how much "non-politically correct" talk is actually allowed here but I know it isn't much.
    - pdelbarba 9y ago
      Political correctness is largely about not being bigoted. It's not strictly un-politically-correct to disagree with something that's a hot topic if your concerns are reasonable and presented politely.
  - pdelbarba 9y ago
Danihan 9y ago
It's frankly just because these kids typically just came from 12 years of schooling where free, open speech is not allowed nor encouraged hardly at all. Say something smart ass in class, get suspended. The message is pretty clear, get in line or get out. They imprint on that mentality and carry it with them indefinitely. It's a genuine issue I think.
weberc2 9y ago
Unfortunately there isn't a balance of power at universities that keeps each side from censoring the other. While conservatives might be as likely to want to censor offending views, they're powerless to censor, and indeed very limited in their ability to protect their own free speech (yes, in theory anyone can file a lawsuit, but it's expensive and time consuming and it could even make you a target for harassment). Fortunately there are organizations like FIRE and Heterodox Academy which fight for free speech and viewpoint tolerance.

ApolloFortyNine 9y ago

Vast majority? Does 1/4 not freak you out? Especially for: Expressing political views that are upsetting or offensive to certain groups Results: % Should be able to restrict: Democrats: 26% Independents: 27% Republicans 25% That is actually terrifying, since if this rule ever got passed, the US would essentially become a one party state.

drewbuschhorn 9y ago
Which one party? I don't mean that factiously. The fact that the percentage is so similar tells me it's more a human effect than a particular belief system effect, and so the mechanisms that worked in the past to fight it will continue to do so. We still have to do the fighting, but singling out Berkeley is pointless and obscures the issue.
- Jotra7 9y ago
  The corporate oligarchy party.
sidlls 9y ago
It is already a one party state, effectively: the party being the wealthy and connected. "R vs. D" is a distraction.

pdelbarba 9y ago

People, in general, don't like to hear/see things that challenge their world view. A good example of this is the LGBT movement. It's opposition is a bunch of, to us, very weird arguments about family but the reality is that some traditional people don't like seeing unusual couples in public (this happened before with inter-racial relationships). On the other hand, the people on college campuses who are inside a decidedly liberal bubble, don't want to see Milo wander by and spew his nonsense, disregarding the fact that it does no harm to them for him to just babble at people.

throwanem 9y ago
That's not really a fair characterization, I think. For one thing, I've been lukewarm at best on the "LGBT movement", as you have it, for most of my life - and I really don't think that's because I "don't like seeing unusual couples in public", being as I'm gay myself and have been party to a few "unusual couples" in my own right. None of the conversations I've had, with others who weren't unalloyed supporters of the movement or indeed supporters at all, suggest that their own concerns were so shallowly founded, either. I don't doubt that there are people who just don't like to see two men, or two women, holding hands. But I find no reason, of my own experience, to suspect they are any less outliers in that regard than some might imagine I myself must be.
- Danihan 9y ago
  What are your reasons for being lukewarm about the movement? On second thought, you might want to keep those to yourself. I'm not sure how much "non-politically correct" talk is actually allowed here but I know it isn't much.
  - pdelbarba 9y ago
    Political correctness is largely about not being bigoted. It's not strictly un-politically-correct to disagree with something that's a hot topic if your concerns are reasonable and presented politely.
- pdelbarba 9y ago

Danihan 9y ago

It's frankly just because these kids typically just came from 12 years of schooling where free, open speech is not allowed nor encouraged hardly at all. Say something smart ass in class, get suspended. The message is pretty clear, get in line or get out. They imprint on that mentality and carry it with them indefinitely. It's a genuine issue I think.

weberc2 9y ago

Unfortunately there isn't a balance of power at universities that keeps each side from censoring the other. While conservatives might be as likely to want to censor offending views, they're powerless to censor, and indeed very limited in their ability to protect their own free speech (yes, in theory anyone can file a lawsuit, but it's expensive and time consuming and it could even make you a target for harassment). Fortunately there are organizations like FIRE and Heterodox Academy which fight for free speech and viewpoint tolerance.