Freedom of Speech and Hate Speech
Posted: November 15th, 2015, 7:35 pmHey guys, it has been a while since I've posted on the forum, but recent events in universities across the country have primed me to open up this conversation. One of the university movements is most relevant to my situation, as it has occurred on my campus at Vanderbilt University. Here's the situation:
A conservative, Christian political science and law professor by the name of Carol Swain published an arguably inflammatory article in The Tennessean (a Nashville, TN, newspaper). This article was published in January in response to the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris. Basically, Professor Swain deemed Islam an inherently violent and dangerous religion which was not in line with American values. She did this in a marginalizing manner; instead of referring to extremist terrorists, she was referring to all Muslims. Protests on campus erupted, providing Muslim students on campus with solace that the beliefs of the professor were not the beliefs of all the students and professors that make up our diverse institution.
The professor is currently on sabbatical from teaching, but several students have created a petition that calls for her suspension. They argue that Dr. Swain is using her title as a professor at a top university to promote her political agenda. This wouldn't be a problem, but nothing on her fan pages acts as a disclaimer that separates her views from those of the university. Not only did her comments on Islam in The Tennessean ignite the petition, but some of her recent posts to her fan page on Facebook have also added fuel to the fire. She continually posts articles from conservative, hate-mongering websites that dismiss or criticize the Black Lives Matter movement, describe transgender individuals as "mentally ill," or shame Obama as a weakling incapable of protecting the United States. Recently, after the attacks in Paris and Beirut, she has blatantly posted "I told you so," on her page and referenced her article, using international tragedy as a way to further her political views and literature.
Dr. Swain is smart, though, and she and her voracious followers attack more liberal commenters on her fan page. Once, the professor received a private message from a student on campus who disagreed with her views, and Dr. Swain posted the student's personal Facebook page on her fan page. The student was harassed endlessly by the Christian-rightists that follow Swain's word like the Bible. She also posted information from the petition writers' private emails to her. Not only that, but Swain has called students opposed to her and basically the whole student population here "spoiled brats," "idiots," "coddled," and even compared us to Nazis and fascists.
The petition has sparked a conversation on campus that centers around free speech and/or speech that discriminates or engenders hate against minorities, especially Muslim and LGBTQIA+ individuals on campus. Many supporters of Swain use the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech to validate her opinions. Those on the other side claim that freedom of speech does not mean freedom of consequences, and that Swain should be reprimanded for her targeting of students and use of the Vanderbilt name to underline the respectability of her somewhat seditious and arguably harmful opinions. Many others are in the middle. They respect Swain's opinion, whether or not it aligns with their own, but they do not believe it is right that she uses her title as a professor as a way to put her views on a pedestal.
After all that, you could probably tell that I'm not the biggest fan of this woman and her association with my education and the fact that I have to pay for her salary with my tuition dollars. I was going to try to write an unbiased post, but it was difficult, so I gave you the view from my side while providing a glimpse into other opinions on the issue. I was initially torn on this issue: censorship is a scary thing, and I don't think opinions with which I don't agree should be censored or blotted out in such a way. However, as I read into the petition and its cited sources, I realized that Carol Swain is in direct violation of campus policies even as a tenured professor. Also, her recent use of the attacks in Paris and Beirut as megaphones to broadcast her discriminatory political agenda disgusts me. I don't like this woman representing my university which advertises acceptance and diversity in all facets.
Whatever comes out of this debacle, I know her opinion will not go away. If she stays, she'll continue to use her position to promote her books and her agenda. If she leaves or gets suspended, the religious right will frame her as a "martyr of liberalism" and she'll get even more press coverage (which is exactly what she wants). Catch-22.
I'll apologize for giving a biased viewpoint, but I'm linking this post to all of the material I referenced so that you can formulate your own opinions. Lemme know what you think, I'll take each of your thoughts into account, I promise.
Tennessean article: http://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion ... /21809599/
Student-led petition: https://www.change.org/p/vanderbilt-uni ... ef=Default
**NOTE** Please do not feel pressured to sign the petition, I am posting it as a reference. The signatures are really supposed to represent Vanderbilt students anyway.
Vanderbilt Acceptable Use Policy: http://hr.vanderbilt.edu/policies/elect ... ations.php
**NOTE** Relevant policies are in Section D of this webpage that lists rules for the staff on posting online. Especially the first point under Section D.
Carol Swain's Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/profcarolmswain/?fref=ts
**NOTE** Please do not feel pressured to follow Carol Swain or comment on any of her posts. I actually advise against this. She posts controversial articles to anger people in opposition. People upset by her posts usually leave comments. She hardly ever replies and leaves her followers to attack those who disagree with her. They will gang up on you and they will not listen to what you have to say.
Best,
Panik!
UPDATE: One of the professor's supporters has written an article posting the private information of an individual involved in the petition without this individual's consent. As a close friend to this person, I'm terrified for his well-being. He's already received threats and his face was smattered across Twitter with harsh criticism. Swain has posted this article on her page, allowing her followers to wreak havoc on my friend. Is this acceptable?
A conservative, Christian political science and law professor by the name of Carol Swain published an arguably inflammatory article in The Tennessean (a Nashville, TN, newspaper). This article was published in January in response to the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris. Basically, Professor Swain deemed Islam an inherently violent and dangerous religion which was not in line with American values. She did this in a marginalizing manner; instead of referring to extremist terrorists, she was referring to all Muslims. Protests on campus erupted, providing Muslim students on campus with solace that the beliefs of the professor were not the beliefs of all the students and professors that make up our diverse institution.
The professor is currently on sabbatical from teaching, but several students have created a petition that calls for her suspension. They argue that Dr. Swain is using her title as a professor at a top university to promote her political agenda. This wouldn't be a problem, but nothing on her fan pages acts as a disclaimer that separates her views from those of the university. Not only did her comments on Islam in The Tennessean ignite the petition, but some of her recent posts to her fan page on Facebook have also added fuel to the fire. She continually posts articles from conservative, hate-mongering websites that dismiss or criticize the Black Lives Matter movement, describe transgender individuals as "mentally ill," or shame Obama as a weakling incapable of protecting the United States. Recently, after the attacks in Paris and Beirut, she has blatantly posted "I told you so," on her page and referenced her article, using international tragedy as a way to further her political views and literature.
Dr. Swain is smart, though, and she and her voracious followers attack more liberal commenters on her fan page. Once, the professor received a private message from a student on campus who disagreed with her views, and Dr. Swain posted the student's personal Facebook page on her fan page. The student was harassed endlessly by the Christian-rightists that follow Swain's word like the Bible. She also posted information from the petition writers' private emails to her. Not only that, but Swain has called students opposed to her and basically the whole student population here "spoiled brats," "idiots," "coddled," and even compared us to Nazis and fascists.
The petition has sparked a conversation on campus that centers around free speech and/or speech that discriminates or engenders hate against minorities, especially Muslim and LGBTQIA+ individuals on campus. Many supporters of Swain use the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech to validate her opinions. Those on the other side claim that freedom of speech does not mean freedom of consequences, and that Swain should be reprimanded for her targeting of students and use of the Vanderbilt name to underline the respectability of her somewhat seditious and arguably harmful opinions. Many others are in the middle. They respect Swain's opinion, whether or not it aligns with their own, but they do not believe it is right that she uses her title as a professor as a way to put her views on a pedestal.
After all that, you could probably tell that I'm not the biggest fan of this woman and her association with my education and the fact that I have to pay for her salary with my tuition dollars. I was going to try to write an unbiased post, but it was difficult, so I gave you the view from my side while providing a glimpse into other opinions on the issue. I was initially torn on this issue: censorship is a scary thing, and I don't think opinions with which I don't agree should be censored or blotted out in such a way. However, as I read into the petition and its cited sources, I realized that Carol Swain is in direct violation of campus policies even as a tenured professor. Also, her recent use of the attacks in Paris and Beirut as megaphones to broadcast her discriminatory political agenda disgusts me. I don't like this woman representing my university which advertises acceptance and diversity in all facets.
Whatever comes out of this debacle, I know her opinion will not go away. If she stays, she'll continue to use her position to promote her books and her agenda. If she leaves or gets suspended, the religious right will frame her as a "martyr of liberalism" and she'll get even more press coverage (which is exactly what she wants). Catch-22.
I'll apologize for giving a biased viewpoint, but I'm linking this post to all of the material I referenced so that you can formulate your own opinions. Lemme know what you think, I'll take each of your thoughts into account, I promise.
Tennessean article: http://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion ... /21809599/
Student-led petition: https://www.change.org/p/vanderbilt-uni ... ef=Default
**NOTE** Please do not feel pressured to sign the petition, I am posting it as a reference. The signatures are really supposed to represent Vanderbilt students anyway.
Vanderbilt Acceptable Use Policy: http://hr.vanderbilt.edu/policies/elect ... ations.php
**NOTE** Relevant policies are in Section D of this webpage that lists rules for the staff on posting online. Especially the first point under Section D.
Carol Swain's Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/profcarolmswain/?fref=ts
**NOTE** Please do not feel pressured to follow Carol Swain or comment on any of her posts. I actually advise against this. She posts controversial articles to anger people in opposition. People upset by her posts usually leave comments. She hardly ever replies and leaves her followers to attack those who disagree with her. They will gang up on you and they will not listen to what you have to say.
Best,
Panik!
UPDATE: One of the professor's supporters has written an article posting the private information of an individual involved in the petition without this individual's consent. As a close friend to this person, I'm terrified for his well-being. He's already received threats and his face was smattered across Twitter with harsh criticism. Swain has posted this article on her page, allowing her followers to wreak havoc on my friend. Is this acceptable?