I have never been quite comfortable with the argument that free speech necessarily entails the acceptance that some will overstep the societal boundaries and indulge in hateful, racist and otherwise hurtful speech against others. I hear this logic quite often among liberal and conservative friends alike, so I certainly wouldn't say it is partisan, but more American. I will risk sounding "un-American" for a minute to simply propose the question, "How free are we really in a society that accepts such wanton abuses of the right to free speech?" I do not believe that in a society that accepts an absolutist view of free speech, you can truly be free of the hatred and violence that it implicitly condones. I believe that it boils down to our unwillingness to accept that there is any sort of chronic problem. We choose to channel the dialogue toward hatred of "big government" instead of addressing a serious problem. We all saw the same political maneuvering with health care reform. That is, debate was quickly channeled away from the problem - some 30 plus million uninsured - toward, again, our national past time, hating on the government. I am not proud per se, but very inspired by what, in theory, it means to be an American. But I ashamed of how we hijack our founding myths to disguise the inequality, violence and racism that plagues our country. So, to the administration and students I would say, fight as hard as you can to preserve the amazing environment we enjoy here at the University.
Stephen Hartka\nCLAS IV
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