Op-Ed Consider the consequences of free speech

Author: Emily Nelson

As the Co-President of Ally Group and the daughter of lesbian parents, I am deeply disturbed by the way in which many Middlebury students twist the concept of free speech. Don't get me wrong, I am a firm believer in free speech, but the latest trend around here seems to be writing off complaints about serious incidents and injustices as 'liberals not wanting to hear anyone else's point of view.' This is a gross misrepresentation of what those of us working to further tolerance and acceptance on this campus stand for. Writing off recent events on campus as expressions of free speech not only belittles the seriousness of the Ross graffiti incident, but it also ignores the realities of life on the Middlebury campus. As an educational institution, it is our responsibility to create a safe space where everyone can learn and grow as people, not to fight for the right to take that safety away. I would love to see more respectful, thought-provoking dialogues take place on this campus. But there is a difference between conversations which demonstrate diversity of opinion and and those which protect people who commit obvious offenses to our entire community. If we support homophobic remarks and actions, we create an environment that breeds bigotry and hate. I do not think that any of us want to live in such a place.

One word that proponents of the free speech argument frequently ignore is "harassment." The line between free speech and verbal harassment is a thin yet important one. A clear example of this is verbal harassment of a sexual nature; by the free speech argument, any man should be allowed to stand outside of Proctor and make crude, threatening remarks to female students as they walk by. We all know that if this occurred, Public Safety would be called immediately.

When students, faculty and staff feel unsafe and unwelcome in their homes and place of employment, it is time to think about where we draw the line. So I ask you, how far are you willing to extend free speech and protection of bigoted remarks? Should students be allowed to stand up in the middle of class and verbally assault their professors? Would you still stand by a lack of administrative action if someone followed you around shouting slurs at you? What if there were racist and ethnically hurtful remarks written on the walls of the language houses?

Homophobia is too often protected and allowed to slip by on this campus because we are afraid of coming across as "too liberal." I want to remind everyone that homosexuality is not a political issue, but rather a part of the identity of many members of our community. I am not arguing for a college in which expressing any unpopular view will get you expelled, but I do think that there has to be a limit to the kinds of hate crimes that we tolerate and allow to continue. Social pressure is all well and good, but it does not solve the problem. We do not simply pressure our peers not to cheat, we sign the honor code. You do not see much physical fighting on this campus because there is a zero tolerance policy. Why don't we get rid of administrative involvement in these offenses? Because some things are too serious to be dealt with solely on a peer-to-peer level. When students are forced to move because of harassment and administrators are personally attacked using heavily offensive language, the administration must take a stand.

In a recent ESPN.com article, Jemele Hill made a wonderful point that all of us should consider: "Speech is free, but consequences are not."

This is how the real world works. Regardless of how everyone feels about the contents of the graffiti, it was an act of vandalism. Whether Joe MiddKidd thinks that free speech allows us to say anything we want at any moment without consequences, you will get in trouble if you stand up in the middle of your final exam and yell out the answers. And when advocates of free speech without repercussions want to share their points of view, they should come to the community meetings and say what they have to say in front of the students directly effected by verbal assaults on this campus.

Emily Nelson is a senior Feb from Brookline, Mass.