Topic > Analysis of Jeff Chu's Fighting Words 101 article

In the Fighting Words 101 article, Jeff Chu questions whether legislators are the right people to take action by legislating against academic free speech on college campuses . Chu explains the idea of ​​bills created by Professors Bob Hagedorn and David Horowitz that would protect both students' and teachers' rights to express personal opinions through free speech. Chu then adds how lawmakers need to take action by using people like Ward Churchill, after a controversial speech, as an example of how universities are going too far and losing touch with the community. Furthermore, Chu explains how controversial speech from professors and students is an exercise in free speech, and concludes that it should be up to universities, rather than legislators, to intervene to decide whether controversial speech and discussions are appropriate for their interests. university campus. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay I disagree with the idea that legislators should take action by deciding what students and teachers can say on their college campus. I think they are afforded the right to exercise their freedom of speech to an extent adequate for others to hear. I think it is the college's responsibility to decide what is appropriate and what is not, because college is a school for adults capable of choosing what to listen to and what not to listen to as an individual. I firmly believe that the academic freedom of students and teachers must be protected because eliminating opposing opinions and criticism teaches students nothing. The idea of ​​being afraid to express an individual's opinion causes the university community to become a more biased society on one hand. If the legislature took a stand to control what is appropriate on the college campus, then it would take the tradition of what college life is, which is a student's ability to choose their own paths and learn as they carefully examine them. Two years ago I had a long-term temporary replacement who was fired from his previous teaching job at another school for criticizing President George Bush in front of his students during a hotly debated topic. During class we would have political debates related to the Iraq War and the president. The class would be divided into two teams who would take turns on each side of the debate regardless of our personal positions. Each student hated taking a personally opposing side, but ironically forgot about it during the intense debate. We would struggle to get questions and answers no matter which side we were debating, but the point is that I noticed that everyone, including myself, participated. At first I hated being on the side of the war, but eventually it made me feel like I was in the president's shoes. The idea led me to learn more points about why the war is still going on today and to learn each opposing side's opinions on the war. Even if I imagined arguing one point of view on the war going on today, I would learn absolutely nothing from the other side. The right that most people widely recognize in America is the right to free speech. In this case, the academic bill of rights follows what people have been saying for many years. The idea of ​​having to legislate free speech on college campuses degrades students' ability to learn more from others. No matter how offensive the comment may be to others, it will always teach us what kind of person he is.