Is it okay to shout down speakers on campus?

I was in College and graduate/Law School 77-85. Yale had the Woodward Protocols which made free speech an extremely high priority. You could be expelled for disrupting a speech or gathering. I had to testify on BEHALF of a left wing radical (self identified) who tried to shout at the SOUTH AFRICAN ambassador to the USA when he was speaking before the Yale Political Union. I was the Sgt at Arms and when this student I knew appeared to be getting ready to do something stupid, I walked up beside him. He tried to jump on a chair to shout at the Ambassador, but I and another officer grabbed him and escorted him out. Someone else filed a complaint against him with the Dean but "Bruce" and I testified that "Paul" was unable to disrupt the meeting and since we were both officers, the case was dismissed on the grounds that the Union had not been disrupted based on our testimony. But the school was zealous in protecting free speech

No longer, and sadly most universities have become intolerant. 7 years ago, Yale's top Constitutional scholar-Akhil Reed Amar-came to my local Yale alumni gathering and he admitted that leftist intolerance was stifling free speech at Yale University-he had said the same thing a couple weeks earlier at the alumni reunion weekend in New Haven

 

You have no right to shout down someone speaking at an occasion, that is disturbing the peace and disorderly conduct. It you have something to say then rent a hall, or get a permit to hold an event in a public square or write a letter to the editor or write a book or blog. Who ever puts on the event controls the speech at the event.

 

Then rent a hall and hold a speech event to express your side of it and criticize the other.

 

Ironically enough, that free expression is on full display right now.

Oh, and on a related note, let me add that there are some kinds of people and groups that we have absolutely no need to hear from, for any reason.

 

I can rent a hall and give a counter speech or just vent my frustrations at the current speech, either one is okay with me honestly.

 

And those who disagree should not try to shout or shut you down.

 

As I've said, freedom of speech goes both ways. I can be just as rude and irksome to them as they can to me.

 

Oh I'm quite sure your side has an ever expanding list of people you "have absolutely no need to hear from, for any reason."

 

Where does the constitution say that?

 

Whatever you think my “side” is bro, just know that you’re technically right on that part.

 

Who's on the list?

 

Racists are the main ones, white supremacists in particular. Pedos, child molestors and the like are also on there. Trump, Ron Desantis and people who support either of them are also on that list.

 

You stand wrong. Its the ultimate of false equivilancy, to compare an invited speaker giving planned remarks to an audience who made time to hear them in the hope of learning something from the planned speaker, with a group of morons intent on shouting slogans and heckling and disrupting as often as it takes, for the speaker to give up and walk off the podium or the audience to give up and leave the auditorium. The intention is to stop the invited speaker from communicating effectively with his audience and the audience from listening to him.

 

no one claims that the constitution says that-but if a person has been invited to speak at say a college and some turds want to drown the speaker out-those trying to interfere should be expelled

 

that's one of the most hysterically silly arguments I have seen. but it shows how hostile the left is to free speech

 

Why is it hysterically silly?

 

so if you disagree with someone, you think it is your right to prevent others from hearing that person?

 

Because your personal standard could not be less relevant. The students won't be consulting you. One of two habits will exist on that campus. Either there will be an expectation that invited speakers will be allowed to speak, or the expectation will be that invited speakers will be allowed to speak if virtually nobody on campus disapproves enough to want to disrupt. Its not even safe if the ideas are popular or that speaker happens to because It only takes maybe 10 -15 determined students to heckle and disrupt that event and it does not take any more whether there are 25 people wanting to listen, or 200 people wanting to listen. Any opposition to a given speaker can ruin it for everyone. Its just more likely if an idea is threatening or unpopular.

Whats makes this worse is this works the opposite of how it should, considering that the ideas that most need to be heard, most need exposure on a college campus, are the ones that are least popular, least understood and controversial, the ones the Professors don't particularly to cover in their classes, and the ones not discussed by mainstream media, its those very same speakers that are most likely to be heckled and shouted down.

If you are sitting at Berkley and the vast majority of Professors and students happen to be progressive, liberal etc, there will be some holes in the curriculum, in the views discussed, when it comes to presenting more conservative views. Alternately If you happen to be sitting in a conservative campus with more conservative ideas more rampant, there will be a lack of balance in the ways ideas get treated. Its not a conspiracy its just the nature of what is popular and what is not.

That is the perfect role for these guest speakers to fill. They can't if they get shouted down because they aren't respected and their ideas are not respected.

 

For those groups in particular that I mentioned, absolutely.

 

That's cool and all and I get that there needs to be a balance of some sort, but I'm not in undergrad anymore nor am I a teacher. What I am, however, is someone more than happy to mock and ridicule those groups of people I mentioned in post #87. To further add to this, it's not really opposition in viewpoints on its own that's a issue, just opposition from specific groups i.e. the ones I listed above.

Now, if we're talking specific subjects like global conflicts, budget crises, international relations, environmental problems, what's on TV, books, video games, porno, Pepsi vs. Coke, etc, then I'm far less willing to interrupt and be rude.

 

Where does the Constitution say you can prevent me from speaking at my rally.

Give me your interpretation of the first amendment speech clause.

 

On your own dime and your own time not theirs.

 

What is worse is these college students will be leading in the fields of science, law, teaching, and business. Just like out wave of kids raised by stoned out hippy parents and letting this happen.
Your freedom is slipping through your fingers.

 

Nah, your freedom isn't slipping, people are just not letting everyone get away with every single thing.

 

No.