This is wrong. College is about the free exchange of ideas.
I utterly disagree with George’s opinions about transgender issues. Nevertheless, the hecklers should have allowed him to speak.
Free Speech on Campus: The Other Side
It’s quite simple.
First, people came to the presentation because they wanted to hear George speak. Two students out of the crowd wrongly overpowered the rights of other students.
Second, the way to overcome speakers like George is to respond with a better speech, not to shout them down. Certainly, colleges and universities need to encourage diverse expressions of opinion.
Washington College's events calendar does show some diversity of thought in various exhibitions and speakers. At the same time, maybe they could do a better job of balancing conservative speakers like Robert George with liberal speakers, possibly on grouped programs. More balance might make potential hecklers amendable to discourse. Then, again, it might not.
It’s quite simple.
First, people came to the presentation because they wanted to hear George speak. Two students out of the crowd wrongly overpowered the rights of other students.
Second, the way to overcome speakers like George is to respond with a better speech, not to shout them down. Certainly, colleges and universities need to encourage diverse expressions of opinion.
Washington College's events calendar does show some diversity of thought in various exhibitions and speakers. At the same time, maybe they could do a better job of balancing conservative speakers like Robert George with liberal speakers, possibly on grouped programs. More balance might make potential hecklers amendable to discourse. Then, again, it might not.
When I attended the conservative College of William and Mary from 1969-1973, the college routinely invited controversial speakers across the political spectrum. Among other opportunities, the administration gave me a chance to listen to firebrand lawyer William Kunstler and civil rights activist Julian Bond. These programs were well-attended, and students listened respectfully. (Yes, students asked hard questions, but that’s fine.) Student leaders invited a conservative alumnus to speak at an anti-Vietnam war demonstration. Again, the students heard him out. Sadly, in our angry, polarized era, we have now lost so much.
Fourth, if there will be a question and answer session, it might be better to wait until then as opposed to heckling.
Fifth, conservatives have no moral authority when it comes to free speech on campus, as they have an equally ugly habit of blocking or protesting speeches by liberal speakers, sometimes violently.
The two Washington University hecklers are facing university discipline. Good.
Heckling is an art, not a bludgeon. Let people speak. Let them be heard.
Previous posts about heckling:
The Lost Art of Heckling: How to Heckle and Not Sound Like an Idiot
A Tale of Two Heckles: Alexandria Ocasio Cortez Jabs Kevin McCarthy - And Resets the National Debate
Heckling and Anti-Heckling in Joe Biden’s February 7, 2023 State of the Union Address: The Republicans Fooled Only Themselves
Free Speech Attacked on Campus: It Happened Again, at William and Mary!
Third, when people shout a speaker down, they implicitly admit that they lack counterarguments. They focus attention on their own rudeness instead of the speaker’s errors or possible bad faith. Good heckling is witty and tasteful. Good hecklers have a chance to display their moral or intellectual position when they shout out quick barbs that amuse without disrupting, In contrast, rude hecklers display only their crudeness.
Third, when people shout a speaker down, they implicitly admit that they lack counterarguments. They focus attention on their own rudeness instead of the speaker’s errors or possible bad faith. Good heckling is witty and tasteful. Good hecklers have a chance to display their moral or intellectual position when they shout out quick barbs that amuse without disrupting, In contrast, rude hecklers display only their crudeness.
Fourth, if there will be a question and answer session, it might be better to wait until then as opposed to heckling.
Fifth, conservatives have no moral authority when it comes to free speech on campus, as they have an equally ugly habit of blocking or protesting speeches by liberal speakers, sometimes violently.
The two Washington University hecklers are facing university discipline. Good.
Heckling is an art, not a bludgeon. Let people speak. Let them be heard.
by William D. Harpine
_____________Previous posts about heckling:
The Lost Art of Heckling: How to Heckle and Not Sound Like an Idiot
A Tale of Two Heckles: Alexandria Ocasio Cortez Jabs Kevin McCarthy - And Resets the National Debate
Heckling and Anti-Heckling in Joe Biden’s February 7, 2023 State of the Union Address: The Republicans Fooled Only Themselves
Copyright 2023, William D. Harpine
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