Miami Student

Issue date: 4/27/07 Section: OpEd Page

Earlier in the week, as I walked past Shriver Center, I saw the protestors that undoubtedly shook you out of your insulated little jaunt to grab some food, head to class or maybe even head uptown early. I know for a fact that the signs and brochures disrupted you, because I saw the way you reacted - looks of disgust, condescending talk to your friends, visible gestures of annoyance. Unfortunately, it is exactly these reactions that undermine the function of free speech and expression in our democracy today.

One of the most vital civil liberties afforded us is the opportunity to speak our mind without fear of retaliation by the government. It is easy to understand why many people disagree with the "pro-life" message offered by the protestors, especially on a college campus. Perhaps you do not share the protestors' religious beliefs. Maybe you believe that whether a fetus is alive or not, a woman has the right to an abortion. What is difficult to understand however is the reaction to the message that is seen in students on this campus. As the famous philosopher John Stuart Mill once said, "We can never be sure that the opinion we are endeavoring to stifle is a false opinion; and if we were sure, stifling it would be an evil still." The reality of free speech in the United States, however erroneous or prejudicial the opinion may appear to be, is that it is undeniably necessary that it be able to be expressed, not necessarily for the benefits of its scientific merit, or rationality, but because of its importance in fostering the political dialogue that allows democracy to thrive.

In protecting our liberty of free speech we have become more than a little lackadaisical lately. Though as a matter of policy, this has been constrained to religious speech of late, the attitudes seen on campus in response to protestors and political activism are a sign of a dangerous decline in understanding of the necessity of free speech. Over the past decade, our government has stripped teachers, administrators, political leaders and even students of the power to speak about their own beliefs in publicly funded settings like schools. While the Supreme Court has affirmed these policies, basing their decisions on the establishment clause, it is disconcerting that such a gross misrepresentation of our founders' meaning has become the status quo in our society. Sadly, the attitudes seen on campus now in regards to protests like the one earlier in the week were likely similar to the attitudes that allowed opposition to freedom of expression in regards to religion to be overwhelmed as a matter of legality. If we are to preserve the freedom of expression that we still have left, we must learn to understand that just because an opinion is unpopular or offensive to one's personal sensibilities - doesn't mean it should be suppressed.

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