Poll Finds College Students Support Free Speech Limitations And Ethnic Costume Bans

El Taco9 years ago

From outrageous chalk markings to offensive ethnic Halloween costumes, it’s been a hell of a year for the safe space loving college student. Now, a new Gallup poll reveals many students are interested in limiting free speech, banning costumes and barring the press from public protests.

Cover your eyes and ears, college students. This post might be offensive.

According to Gallup, 69 percent of students said colleges should establish policies to prevent the use of slurs and other language on campus that is intentionally offensive to certain groups. Fair.

Sixty-three percent said the same in regards to wearing costumes that stereotype certain racial or ethnic groups. Again, in principle, not a terrible idea.

What’s a bit troubling though is more than one-fourth of those surveyed supported colleges making policies to disparage people from expressing political views that are upsetting or offensive to certain groups.

Yes, because someone disagrees with your political views means they should be shunned for that. Do you WANT to live in North Korea?! Because that’s how you live in North Korea. I realize it’s only 27 percent of respondents, but come on. It should be zero percent.

The next round of questioning was particularly troubling. It has to do with press news gathering at public protests and, let’s just say, the results are closer than you’d hope.

When asked if barring press from a public protest because “the people at the protest believe the press will be unfair to them in its reporting” is a legitimate reason to bar them, 49 percent believed it was. When posed with the same question about barring the press because the public protesters have a right to be left alone is a legitimate reason to bar them, 48 percent agreed.

I must ask again — do you want to live in North Korea?! Because that’s how to you turn the U.S. into North Korea.

Journalists can’t do their jobs if they’re afraid that writing something bad will get them banned from future protests. Journalists are expected to be independent third-parties. They should report on facts, not feeling. If a protester, in fact, assaults someone or gets assaulted, then the press should report on that. A 49/50 split on this issue is too close to call on something that’s covered in the First Amendment. You have as much right to bear arms as you do to write a news article.

Damnit. Now I’m not going to get let into the next campus protest which, I assume, will be about whether or not “anus” is a dirty word. Maybe next year..

[via Gallup]