College students unclear about Free Speech - FIRE

[icehorse]

According the to survey of 2225 U.S. college students linked to below:

- 96% think it's important to have their rights and liberties (e.g. free speech) protected on campus.
- But 57% think that "offensive" or "intolerant" views should be restricted.

Apparently, many students are unclear on the concept of free speech.

https://d28htnjz2elwuj.cloudfront.n...4349/Student-Attitudes-Association-Survey.pdf

 

[Brickjectivity]

According the to survey of 2225 U.S. college students linked to below:

- 96% think it's important to have their rights and liberties (e.g. free speech) protected on campus.
- But 57% think that "offensive" or "intolerant" views should be restricted.

Apparently, many students are unclear on the concept of free speech.

https://d28htnjz2elwuj.cloudfront.n...4349/Student-Attitudes-Association-Survey.pdf

I suspect many students are from foreign countries, but I'd bet about 20% or more of those students responding about offensive and intolerant views are from the US. That is a guess. Something that goes unmentioned in the reprt are that there are many privately funded colleges that don't truly represent students in state universities. If we're talking about American students then the report needs to discuss which results are from the American students, but it doesn't differentiate from the large number of foreign students. That is a huge problem for this report.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

they are the product of a public education system that no longer includes coursework in civics during high school...I was amazed at how few of my students had any real inkling about the Constitution and the court interpretations the affect their lives.

 

[icehorse]

I suspect many students are from foreign countries, but I'd bet about 20% or more of those students responding about offensive and intolerant views are from the US. That is a guess.

Not sure I understand your guess here, are you guessing "only 20%" or "at least 20%" or... ?

 

[Revoltingest]

they are the product of a public education system that no longer includes coursework in civics during high school...I was amazed at how few of my students had any real inkling about the Constitution and the court interpretations the affect their lives.

Students?
Just look at the adults here on RF.
The Constitution is despised, ignored, misread, & even uncapitalized !!!
Of course, I can forgive ignant ferriners, but the Ameristanians should know better.

 

[dybmh]

Students?
Just look at the adults here on RF.
The Constitution is despised, ignored, misread, & even uncapitalized !!!
Of course, I can forgive ignant ferriners, but the Ameristanians should know better.

But would you forgive an ignorant farrier? Or an indignant terrier? That's what I want to know.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Reminds me of this one lady I was in a class with, and she got highly offended because the teacher showed a documentary that shows the harsh reality of the war on drugs, including the CIA's involvement in dealing coke in America. How can facts be offensive?

 

[Revoltingest]

But would you forgive an ignorant farrier? Or an indignant terrier? That's what I want to know.

Yes...yes I would.
Even a Harrier, obsolete though it be.

 

[Revoltingest]

Reminds me of this one lady I was in a class with, and she got highly offended because the teacher showed a documentary that shows the harsh reality of the war on drugs, including the CIA's involvement in dealing coke in America. How can facts be offensive?

Half of facts are, generally.
It's about challenging one's weltanschauung.

Look at all the scowling now....stating it in German is offensive.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Not sure I understand your guess here, are you guessing "only 20%" or "at least 20%" or... ?

I'd need statistics on the percentage of foreign students, and then I'd take a chunk out of the 57% based on that. I'd multiply the 57% by 1 - %foreign to give a representation, albeit still mixed and inaccurate. They just didn't collect that data that they needed, because they didn't explain what happened to all of those foreign exchange students who'd back to China, to Russia, to UK, to Europe etc. where the ideas of free speech and the laws are different from ours.

It also doesn't say the students were randomly selected, so that shoots any statistical study in the groin. We've no idea where the mean value is. Suffice it to say that the implications are still shocking but may be only 10% shocking instead of 57%.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

Yes...yes I would.
Even a Harrier, obsolete though it be.

If I had a Harrier
I would use it to terrorier
the residents of Revoltistanier

 

[Revoltingest]

If I had a Harrier
I would use it to terrorier
the residents of Revoltistanier

We now need a rating for retchworthy.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

I'd need statistics on the percentage of foreign students, and then I'd take a chunk out of the 57% based on that. I'd multiply the 57% by 1 - %foreign to give a representation, albeit still mixed and inaccurate. They just didn't collect that data that they needed, because they didn't explain what happened to all of those foreign exchange students who'd back to China, to Russia, to UK, to Europe etc. where the ideas of free speech and the laws are different from ours.

It also doesn't say the students were randomly selected, so that shoots any statistical study in the groin. We've no idea where the mean value is. Suffice it to say that the implications are still shocking but may be only 10% shocking instead of 57%.

In skimming over the report, also I didn't see any sort of accounting for state or region of the country, nor anything about public vs. private nonprofit vs. private for-profit institutions...

 

[The Reverend Bob]

How does punishing intolerant and hateful speech violate the principle of free speech?

 

[HonestJoe]

Apparently, many students are unclear on the concept of free speech.

Are you saying that someone can only support free speech if they support entirely unconditional free speech? You can disagree with where they draw the line of acceptable free speech but that doesn't mean they've failed to understand the fundamental principle.

 

[Shad]

Are you saying that someone can only support free speech if they support entirely unconditional free speech? You can disagree with where they draw the line of acceptable free speech but that doesn't mean they've failed to understand the fundamental principle.

The term "acceptable speech" is subjective.

 

[Wasp]

If I understand correct there is no problem there except that the number of people on the latter category should be much higher.

I'm guessing 100% of the rest of them would change their view as soon as someone insults them publicly.

 

[Wasp]

The term "acceptable speech" is subjective.

Then how come all people seem to know what it is?

 

[Shad]

Then how come all people seem to know what it is?

They don't. They just repeat the term without clarifying by examples.

 

[Epic Beard Man]

According the to survey of 2225 U.S. college students linked to below:

- 96% think it's important to have their rights and liberties (e.g. free speech) protected on campus.
- But 57% think that "offensive" or "intolerant" views should be restricted.

Apparently, many students are unclear on the concept of free speech.

https://d28htnjz2elwuj.cloudfront.n...4349/Student-Attitudes-Association-Survey.pdf

That is the problem with free speech absolutionists to think that you should absolutely say whatever you want whenever is the major problem. Free speech protects you from the government, not the rest of society. If certain speech is disruptive to the tranquility of an environment especially when learning is involved, it needs to be mitigated. Not a hard concept.