Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is visiting Miami University in a few weeks as a part of the Anderson Distinguished Lecture Series. Most people have probably noticed advertisements for the event around campus, including fliers and sandwich boards. However, I have been disturbed by the amount of disrespectful marks and comments written directly on several of these advertisements, specifically on the wooden sandwich board frames. I have also seen some of the fliers slashed through.
No matter what you think of Ms. Rice, her policies or her actions, defacing someone else's efforts to advertise for a speaker is wrong. No matter who the speaker is, whether it is Ms. Rice, Michelle Obama or Donald Trump.
No matter how much you agree or disagree with the school bringing a particular speaker to campus the defacement of the media someone else has designed and paid for to advertise is inconsiderate and unjust. A sandwich board, for example, is fairly expensive because of the poster cost, lamination fee and physical facilities fee (for the physical facility workers to drive around and place them all over campus) and can add up to around $80 or more.
It is fine if you dislike Condoleezza Rice or are angry that she is speaking here at Miami. Yes, your freedom of speech allows you to express yourself. It is perfectly all right to put up signs voicing your own counter-arguments or facts about Ms. Rice that you believe should be brought to our attention (as I have also seen around campus). Expressing a counter-opinion is fine, and promotes discussion and diversity of thought.
However, it is not permissible to also write directly on someone else's fliers or signs just because you disagree with them. Nor is it right to take down another organization's signs — I am very aware that this, too, happens on campus.If we are to have a truly "diverse" campus, we must respect those who exercise their freedom of speech. Removing, defacing or otherwise marking up signs is childish and shows close-mindedness. You have the right to express your opinions, but respect that others have this right too. Please play by the rules.
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