Coulter speech cancelled because of protestors

[Admiral Yi]

As revolting and ignorant as she is, she needs to be debated.

I disagree; <snip>

It really depends on the makeup of the debate audience.

[Razgovory]

As revolting and ignorant as she is, she needs to be debated.

I disagree; debating people like that is pointless because they don't accept the rules of reasoned discourse and they are not interested in persuasion in the first place.  The best response is to ignore them and marginalize them.  In that sense, the decision to invite her was unfortunate; the protest reaction was even more unfortunate because it transformed what otherwise would have been an irrelevant college club meeting into the three-ring circus that is her favored venue.

The same issue came up with that fake Cherokee professor, Ward Churchill or the 9-11 "truthers", the equivalents to Coulter on what I suppose could be termed the left.  There is nothing to be gained by engaging in debate with such people.  it only gives credence to their frauds and outrages because implicit in the decision to debate is that the ideas they are presenting are debatable in the first place (like free trade vs. protection), as opposed to nonsense designed to titillate and provoke.

It's not like it's she's going to convince anyone.

[crazy canuck]

Well these two are hardly comparable. Being for free trade is not the same as calling groups of people (who are students at the college), traitors, murderers, deviants or wanting to ship them off to Gitmo.

I will forgive your comment since you dont know about how intense the free debate was. Coulter is merely a fool who, as JR said, can easily be ignored.

[crazy canuck]

I think there is a fine line somewhere. Again, the university is not a street corner - it's a community of professors and students, and I think it is important they feel welcome there.

Your commitment to free speech is astounding.  You would really draw the line at "making people feel welcome"?

Isnt the whole point of free speech the ability to say things that may not be comforting.

[MadImmortalMan]

You would really draw the line at "making people feel welcome"?

No, just making certain people feel welcome. Not everyone. 

[BuddhaRhubarb]

In short, Coulter (or her supporters) has taken a bunch of incompetent bumbling by the university admin, and the usual bullshit from student protestors, and successfully manufactured an issue out of it in which she emerges as a hero of free speech. The university admin (and students) are at fault for handing her the ammo, to be sure.

The thing that catches my attention about all this is the actions of the students.  I think you are downplaying their role in trying to disrupt the talk by calling it the usual bullshit.  It isnt usual.  It is a recent trend that is worrying - at least to me.

Back in the time before time, when I was an undergraduate, Canada was going through a very intense debate over free trade.   Whenever a proponent of free trade came to campus to speak there were huge demonstrations protesting against free trade (the NDP and Liberals were very much against the deal if you recall calling it a betrayal of Canadian sovereignty).  But I cant remember a single time when anyone actually attempted to prevent the speaker from speaking.  Back then there was a very strong commitment to free speech among the student body and an attempt to try to shut someone up because their ideas just wasnt on.

Large numbers of students now appear to think that they have some kind of responsibility to silence other points of view.  Its a troubling trend.

and despite what Hans et al might tell you it's not limited to the Left. Nobody lets anybody have their say anymore. Or if they do, they discount it as Fascism, Communism or some other ism that it isn't.

[garbon]

and despite what Hans et al might tell you it's not limited to the Left. Nobody lets anybody have their say anymore. Or if they do, they discount it as Fascism, Communism or some other ism that it isn't.

I'll let you have your say, boo.

[Martinus]

As revolting and ignorant as she is, she needs to be debated.

I disagree; <snip>

It really depends on the makeup of the debate audience.

Well, I guess. I mean, the guyliner and manscara crowd probably is more leftist.

[Martinus]

I think there is a fine line somewhere. Again, the university is not a street corner - it's a community of professors and students, and I think it is important they feel welcome there.

Your commitment to free speech is astounding.  You would really draw the line at "making people feel welcome"?

Isnt the whole point of free speech the ability to say things that may not be comforting.

Again, I am not trying to set up a legal standard here for "freedom of speech" understood as an ability to spout nonsense in the public space (the proverbial street corner) without being sued or jailed.

I am talking about giving a speech at a university, which is a community of people and which, while encouraging free debate and exchange of ideas within such community, should also take steps to ensure that, within reasonable limits (the verbal equivalent of "eggshell skull rule"), all its members feel welcome and are not being gratuitously insulted.

It's amazing you are unable to grasp this difference.

[crazy canuck]

I think there is a fine line somewhere. Again, the university is not a street corner - it's a community of professors and students, and I think it is important they feel welcome there.

Your commitment to free speech is astounding.  You would really draw the line at "making people feel welcome"?

Isnt the whole point of free speech the ability to say things that may not be comforting.

Again, I am not trying to set up a legal standard here for "freedom of speech" understood as an ability to spout nonsense in the public space (the proverbial street corner) without being sued or jailed.

I am talking about giving a speech at a university, which is a community of people and which, while encouraging free debate and exchange of ideas within such community, should also take steps to ensure that, within reasonable limits (the verbal equivalent of "eggshell skull rule"), all its members feel welcome and are not being gratuitously insulted.

It's amazing you are unable to grasp this difference.

Even more astounding that you think freedom of expression should be protected less within an institution which has at its core academic freedom and freedom of expression.  The next time you want to rant about how repressive Poland is you might reflect on the views you have expressed here.

[HVC]

Paper say couter is going to go complain to the Canadian Human Rights Commission lol

[Martinus]

Paper say couter is going to go complain to the Canadian Human Rights Commission lol

Don't you need to be human to do that?

[BuddhaRhubarb]

Paper say couter is going to go complain to the Canadian Human Rights Commission lol

Don't you need to be human to do that?

I think Harp Seals and beavers are protected also. Her voice reminds me of a dying seal so maybe she can? :p

[Monoriu]

I really don't understand why university students protest so much.  When I was a student, I was both physically and psychologicaly crushed by schoolwork and future uncertainties that I couldn't do anything except studying.  And worrying. 

[Martinus]

I really don't understand why university students protest so much.  When I was a student, I was both physically and psychologicaly crushed by schoolwork and future uncertainties that I couldn't do anything except studying.  And worrying.

I could come up with a snarky response but I will wait for CdM to do so.