Bowing to political protests, Harvard University withdrew an invitation to invite WikiLeaks leaker Chelsea Manning to be a Visiting Fellow. I have posted previously about how important free speech is on college campuses. Recently, conservative media outlets have rightly complained when colleges withdrew speaking invitations to right-wing speakers. Strangely, they are less likely to complain when liberal speakers are suppressed. The assault on free speech comes in equal measures from the right and
left wings, and it is useless to say that one is worse than the other.
Students should be exposed to many different points of view. In a healthy democracy, people need to be aware of the opinions and reasoning of those with whom they disagree. Ultra right-wing speakers like Milo Yiannopoulos and Richard Spencer often speak on college campuses, but sometimes find themselves unwelcomed. I say, let them speak – and, despite the controversies, they usually can.
Yet Chelsea Manning, who is despised by right-wing advocates, is not being allowed on Harvard's campus because of pressure from conservatives.
On the one hand, I strongly disapprove of Chelsea Manning, who violated her oath and pled guilty to serious crimes. I do not, on the other hand, see any reason that students should not hear her speak at length. If she is wrong, and I think she is, surely college students are smart enough to figure that out for themselves.
Our democracy thrives on the expression of diverse opinions. We live in an era where millions of Americans get all of their information from highly partisan news sources, and are thus grossly misinformed about what other people think. Americans need more, not less, exposure to different points of view.
Previous posts about free speech on campus:
Free Speech on Campus, Part III (and follow the links at bottom of that post)
Free Speech on Campus: It Happened Again!
Free Speech on Campus: A Better Outcome?
Free Speech on Campus: The Other Side
Free Speech on College Campuses: Time for Some Humor?
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