Censoring Bigoted Speech at UC San Diego: Who Does It Help?
In the last few weeks, the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) has been tearing itself apart over racial and ethnic issues. The impetus for the turmoil is the “Compton Cookout,” a “ghetto”-themed off-campus party involving a Las Vegas-based African American comedian who calls himself “Jiggaboo Jones.” The controversial party, held last month to “celebrate” Black History Month, was followed by the reported use of a racial slur on UCSD’s student television station, the hanging of a noose in the library, and the placement of a “Klan-style” pillowcase on a campus statue of Dr. Seuss, of all people.
In response, UCSD has attempted to silence the “hate speech” on the grounds that it makes other students scared or uncomfortable. Associate Students President Utsav Gupta, apparently with the full backing of UCSD administrators, has frozen funding to 33 campus media outlets in order to silence one of them for making an offensive comment about the reaction to the “Compton Cookout” party on the student-run TV station. While no recording of the statement seems to exist, Kris Gregorian, editor in chief of the student “shock humor” publication The Koala, reportedly called those objecting to the party “ungrateful ni**ers.”
As all Americans know, using the “N-word” is one of the most offensive things you can do in our society. It’s no surprise that people on campus, particularly African American students, would be upset by it. Gupta clearly was, as he acted within hours to shut down the TV station and then froze money to the rest of the student media after the comment. Since then, the student government has held meeting after meeting trying to sort out what should be done about the freeze, but the hold on funds has been maintained.
FIRE and the ACLU of San Diego have sent letter after letter to UCSD demanding that media funds be restored and warning that a lawsuit is sure to follow if they are not. With regard to the law, there can be no doubt that FIRE and the ACLU of San Diego are right — it is clearly unconstitutional for a public university or its agents to cut funding to a student media organization because of its expression or content. Gupta and UCSD stand no chance of winning in court.
But are Gupta and UCSD right morally? Is it better for a campus and for our society if “hate speech” is outlawed and punished? Isn’t banning such speech worth it, if doing so makes people feel more comfortable and less threatened on campus?
The answer to all these questions is the same: no.
Why? Well, ask yourself: Who benefits from the censorship of racist speech on campus? This question does not receive nearly enough attention.
The university benefits from a public relations standpoint — censorship of unwanted speech is a quick, easy “cure” and appears to be decisive, effective action. Besides, no college or university wants to look like it is institutionally racist or harbors a bunch of racist students. The student government also “wins” from a PR standpoint, as it has a strong interest in minimizing general divisiveness on campus that might lead to noisy dissent and potentially disruptive protests. Indeed, Gupta cited this “divisiveness” when defending the censorship of the student media, and said he wanted to figure out how to fund student publications without funding “hate speech.”
One can not yell “fire” in a theatre.
One can not limit free speech to criticize Islime or anything else.
Offensive speech to you is truth to me. “Abortion Doctors are killers”; “A woman has a right to chose”! Many black people use the n word daily, “whitey” can not…is that racist? If “whitey” uses n word, no decent person will associate with them: mores.
Hate speech is always defined by the left.
Getty (above) was on to it: Blacks are allowed to use the full range of racial epithets against white Americans and America. Islamic students are allowed full range of racial other “hate” speech against America and Israel. La Raza is allowed to spout it awful things all being anti-American. The NBP are allowed to stand in front of voting booths.
At the rate we are going, I can envision a society much like that of the Sly Stallone movie, Demolition Man.
In many, if not all of the past decade’s cases where nooses have been displayed on college campuses, the perpetrator turns out to have been a minority. Then, while that fact is not publicized, the college is free to spend money and time, as in this case, to set up panels to enforce PC-ness on campus, hire more minority professors or fund more leftist/minority student unions or clubs.
Noose hanging seems to be an effective tactic, for the left and from the left, to further enforce their progressive aims.
Make sure you make a complete confession if the “N” word enters your thoughts.
And never, ever, tie a loop in a rope!
Is a racist a 2nd degree felony now?
We really need to construct some racist penitentiaries in every county of the United States.
This behavior and ungoverned thought process cannot go unpunished!
“As all Americans know, using the “N-word” is one of the most offensive things you can do in our society.”
As other commentators note, the double standard is becoming ridiculous. How many ‘n***er’ epithets by black actors or rappers?
Here we are prosecited for calling Pakistani’s ‘pakis’, however when they use a similarly insulting pejoritive, ‘kuffar’ or the shortened ‘koof’ not a peep.
This then leads to a kind of superiority complex whereby they feel immune to our law and shariah takes hold.
As for me? Call me koof, whitey, white boy, infidel, all the stuff trotted out on a daily basis and who cares?
They are mere words.
How does UCSD gain a PR benefit by shutting down, not just the allegedly-offending TV station, but *all* student media? Mass reprisals are alien to the vocabulary of free peoples.
There is one benefit that the left gains by pushing the racists underground. Since the racists are hidden, then they can claim anyone is racist. If the racists were allowed to be racist in public, then calling someone a racist who doesn’t behave as a racist has much less power.
The last I looked, the first amendment doesn’t specify anything about prohibiting positive or negative stereotypes. Indeed, in order to have a positive stereotype, one must have negative stereotypes. Further, the President is obligated to support and defend the US constitution, which I presume he or his state department violated by going long with UN human right’s commission on banning negative religious stereotypes, at the behest of Islamic states. Looks like an impeachable offense to me. Then maybe we can deal with University Presidents, after all, the first amendment has been incorporated, applies to the states, and the constitution is the supreme law of the land. The people who can’t handle free speech during the academic tournament of ideas is what jails and public flogging was designed for. PS, except for housing, hiring, retention, and promotions,” being a racist” or a Marxist or a New Age pagan is not unconstitutional or otherwise against the law.
Please note (in case I missed it in the article or comments) the noose incident was confessed to by a black woman who claims she had no idea it would be misconstrued (they were just playing around with some rope and accidently left it hanging in the library – right)during the highly racially charged atmosphere on campus. Why is it that so much evidence of racism against blacks is either purposely done by blacks to make a point about racism or is credited to just a silly misunderstanding when they are caught trying to manufacture false claims of racism?
oops. Reread the article and there it was. This should be one of the huge scandals as it seems to happen over and over again during these situations. This is one of the many reasons that the vast majority of people roll their eyes at these claims. BTW – UCSD is 49% Asian. So are we concerned about Asian/Black racism this time around?
Apparently everyone is a racist now anyway.
-Including Wal-Mart and the CDC:
Black Barbie Sold for Less
U.S. Herpes rates remain high
Delia @ 11:
Everyone except Obongo and Eric Holder. And that must by why the thought police at PJM wouldn’t post my previous comment. Talk about First Amendment suppression.
12. Saltherring,
Don’tchya know that if you don’t want to be labeled/libeled a ‘racist’ you just have to become a leftist/commie/democrat?
What I find especially idiotic is that POTB (people other than black) can’t make fun of anything regarding the ‘hip-hop’ culture which really should be shunned for the denigrating nastiness that it is. When people as a society can’t even have an open dialogue about issues regarding high rates of STD’s, abortions and single mothers amongst black folks and uphold ‘hip-hop’ as a ‘black thang’, how are black people ever going to rise above their own embarrassing ‘culture’ of pimpin’ and hoes as ‘cool’?
The Constitution guarantees me the right free speech i.e. say what I want as long as it doesn’t endanger others (yelling fire in a crowded theater).
The Constitution DOES NOT guarantee you the right to not be offended by my free speech.
As abhorrent as I find racism, the left has trivialized the word so much, by calling anyone that opposes Obama’s agenda a racist, that the word no longer has meaning. Sad, because we all know that there are racists out there, just so few of them are white.
Delia,
Don’tchya know in the inner-city it be cool to be illiterate, lazy, a dropout, no job, a bed-hopper, thief, pimp, ho, gang-banger and/or dope-head. What not be cool is to complete school, aspire to make something of yourself, work hard, be a good example for the next generation, stay stright, not breed indiscriminately and avoid criminal behavior Thanks, Hollywood and Madison Avenue, for glorifying a self-perpetuating culture of self-destructivness. And thanks, leftist governments, for subsidizing it with our tax dollars.
I have spent some time at UCSD and have always been taken aback by small numbers of black students on campus. I mean really, you can go all day and not see a single black person. Folks of Asian persuasion abound and there are many whites, but few blacks.
So you can imagine my confusion when I attended a graduation ceremony a few years back where the speaker was a black, 60′s era, civil rights activist. He spoke to a sea of white and Asian students and parents about the struggles of African Americans. No big deal I guess but why not something closer to home? I’m just saying, the faculty and admin are supersensitive to the black condition and they don’t hardly have any. What is up with that?
15. Saltherring,
Straight up, brah! Goes the same for the white & hispanic ‘wiggers’ who think ‘gangsta’ is what it’s all about.
‘Censoring bigotry’ starts at home.
People say, don’t use the ‘n’ word, but truth speaks volumes when blacks use the ‘n’ word and become rich using it.
There is absolutely NOTHING empowering about calling yourself a ‘nigger’ as a rapper, as a teen, as a black to black person. There is nothing empowering about a white kid calling himself a ‘wigger’ either. It’s sad and pathetic.
Blacks need to stop espousing ‘nigga’ in their own ‘bro’ hype. When, “My nigga” is a compliment or a term of endearment, I have to agree with Oprah on this, it’s WRONG. WRONG.
When I worked for AMTRAK all the black employees used the N word between each other in conversations all the time, had I used it just once I would have been vilified, maybe beat up, and for sure fired as a racist. Hypocrisy is alive and well in America.
Well, I pushed the ol’ envelope and it seems my last statement must have been ‘racist’???????
If my last statement WAS racist, why not print it per the whole reason for this PJM blogger’s topic? The irony is sickening and not funny in the least.
Same with Saltherring and probably tons of other comments here that get ‘ousted’. Perhaps the best and worst of ‘all sides’ should be shown a little more often in all their ugliness or overzealousness?
Good grief, at the very least, let reality even from the likes of me when I say something stupid, let me own it.
E Pluribus Unum
God bless all of us honkeys, niggas, gooks, wetbacks, kikes, spicks, micks, krauts, frogs, limeys, queers, dykes and whatever other derogatory label one group may have for another group.
A couple generations ago, in an effort to reform society we amended our constitution to prohibit liquor. Prohibition of liquor drove it underground.
Today, in an effort to reform society some more “enlightened” elites seek to prohibit certain kinds of speech. Prohibition of speech drives it underground.
It is so pathetic that in the course of fifty years we have all embraced filters in our minds to make sure we do not say anything that might possibly offend anyone else. Be certain to engage filter before putting mouth in gear.
When I was a young man, it was acceptable to tell racial or ethnic jokes even on late night TV shows, and it was obscene to tell jokes about sex. Today, it is acceptable on broadcast TV and radio to tell ribald, if not outright disgusting sexual jokes. But, it is now considered obscene to tell racial or ethnic jokes. Frankly, both are in bad taste, but five decades has surely turned the world upside down.
We used to live in America: “Home of the free and the brave.” Now we live in America: Home of the free….but: Do not park here….Keep off the grass….No smoking within fifty feet of the entrance of this building….No littering….No spitting….No loud radios….Do not argue with the bus driver….Stand back of the yellow line until the officer/bureaucrat calls your name….”Don’t call me ma’am. Call me Senator.”…Any criticism of our President is, by definition, racist…You can contribute to a candidate, but no more than amounts specified by law, and only if your contribution amount, your name, occupation, and address are disclosed and available to any hooligan with access to the internet…Do not print any cartoons or books which depict the Muslim prophet, Mohammed….Do not criticize Islam in any manner unless you are prepared to live a life in isolation and under armed guard….Do not use words such as mankind or salesman when you must now say humankind or salesperson….
I could go on and on documenting how far we have strayed from the Founding Fathers….er, pardon me…the Founding Generation’s (or was it simply the Founders?) intent behind the First Amendment. But, it is late at night and my dog Mohammed needs a walk before bedtime. (Oh! I am sorry. Have I offended our Muslim brothers and sisters. I sincerely hope that for naming my dog, Mohammed, a Fatwah will not be issued against me. Let me compromise. I will call him Hammudi from now on rather than Mohammed. (When Sharia finally is imposed, I will gladly call him, Infidel, or just plain Spot.)
In my mind I keep hearing the question repeatedly asked by the prison bosses in the 1960s movie, “Cool Hand Luke” after they broke his spirit:
“Luke, have you got your mind straight, yet?”
“Yes, Boss. Yes, Boss. I got my mind straight.”
But then again, Luke had clothing, shelter, employment, three square meals a day, security, and even health care—–all provided by a benificent government.
“Yes, Boss. I got my mind straight.”
When pigs fly!
(1) UCSD: A group of dumb white frat guys hold an event called a “Compton Cookout.” This pisses people off as it used Black History Month as a reason to mock black people with racist stereotypes. Also involved is some idiot who tries to use this opportunity for shameless self-promotion, who also happens to be black. To say the least, the guy is basically a wannabe Flavor Flav.
(2) UCSD: Another dumb white frat guy gets mad that blacks are offended of being relegated to a bigoted stereotype. He tries to hold another racist event.
(3) UCSD: Meanwhile, a terrible student media publication (which, after viewing their website consists of all white staff, nudity, staff wrestling each other, and well, not much else), pushes their limits calling black students “ungrateful n—-” – not just that word, but also that apparently the black students owed them something. They have a reputation of being trashy, and at this point, administration and faculty rush to condemn racism by students of the campus and various protests begin. Funding is also cut from all student media at UCSD, creating an extra bitter controversy.
(4) UCSD: On Friday of that week, a noose is found in the library. Everything gets worked in a frenzy and – something I’ll address later – a large amount of white commenter’s on the internet begin claiming that is was probably a black student who planted it in order to gain more sympathy. In addition, there are rumors of a threatening note sent to the Guardian and a second noose, there was no second noose, and the threat seems to be just a rumor.
(5) UCSD: Protests basically happen at all schools in support of the students. There are various sit-ins, and teach-ins, and what have you. School administrators become pushed to be more active in fixing what’s going on.
I have not seen this noose person, but most of you blame her and conveniently forget wear this all originated.
Instead of an apology there has been steady escalation and now the noose. So, what exactly will the excuses be for this cowardly act that brings up memories of the confederate KKK of the South in their attempts to keep slavery and the non-whites in fear? Is it that are uneducated, is it that their parents planted these seeds of hate, is it that they are live in fear because our President in the white house is not 100% white. In my opinion this is what the small portions of the republican party of “birthers, baggers and blowhards” have brought you. These kids are good at “Follow the Leader” of their dullard leaders, they listen to Beck, Hedgecock, Hannity, O’Reilly, Rush and Savage and the rest of the Blowhards, they are young and dumb. Are you surprise at what they do when you know what they think? The world is complicated and most republicans (Hamiliton, Lincoln, Roosevelt) believe that we should use government a little to increase social mobility, now its about dancing around the claim of government is the problem. The sainted Reagan passed the biggest tax increase in American history and as a result federal employment increased, but facts are lost when mired in mysticism and superstition. Although most republicans are trying to distant themselves from this fringe they have a long way to go.
Delia,
My comment that was deleted by the PJM thought police contained no profanity and did not contain the “n” word. It referenced to Eric Holder calling white men cowards and referred to the Justice Department’s dismissal of the case against the New Black Panthers for vote suppression in Philly. Yes, my comment contained sarcasm, but I guess that is no longer allowed at PJM. This is not the first time such comment of mine have been censored…yes CENSORED. That’s why I’ve been spending more time at American Thinker and other sites. Think about it, PJM.
American Thinker, never heard of it, thanks for the tip.
Looks like my post eventually went through (17. Delia).
American Thinker has some wonderful articles (I try to read there every day). I just now noticed Kevin Jackson of the Black Sphere posts articles there! YAY! His recent post about Black women as the soul of America was an interesting read:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/03/the_soul_of_america.html
The klan hood on the statue of Dr.Seuss may have been an intentional message that was garbled:
The cartoonist penned cartoons during WWII that showed, among other things, a line of Japanese Americans getting orders and explosives from “Honorable Fifth Column.” I would be surprised if this was not known to many at UCSD. Okay, I wouldn’t really be surprised. According to the “Sanger Rule” if one is properly progressive, any vile racist deeds can be expunged from ones hagiography.
This page has some of his other cartoons that featured Japanese characters, and ridiculed those who supported Japanese Americans:
http://www.who-sucks.com/people/dr-seuss-sucks-7-racist-cartoons-from-the-doctor
This may be at odds with what he did later in life, but if you are looking at a cartoonist who rhymed “yottle” and “bottle” for ideological consistency, you may want to seek deeper philosophical waters.
Talk aboutINJUSTICE,during slavery the blacks were kept in fear.It’s ironic our own government is trying to keep us all in fear,and run evry aspect of our live’s.
I just wanted to add:
As degenerate as the ‘hip-hop’ generation is…let’s not forget the ‘free-love’ ‘hippy’ generation from which all std’s found rampant breeding ground.
ICK
16. Ding:
On the money. I just spent a week at UCSD. Big, beautiful, diverse campus in a beautiful part of the country. In a week of sleeping in student housing, riding campus buses, using the library wandering around campus and taking in the Sunday morning surfing scene I didn’t see five African Americans.
Discussing anti-Black bias at UCSD is like discussing anti-Semitism in China.
Will: Yes, you are so right. I can not build a little cabin in the woods without running water and build bombs and send them by mail to people I do not like and their science because our own government controls my life and yours. Yup that sounds about right, its the government. Get real you tea party crazy.
Delia: You forgot to mention those spread to the world by our GI Joes.
David: Real? Thats your story? Sounds suspicious.
Sounds more like Manny, Moe and Jack are the same person.
29. Montana,
You sayin’ the GI Joes were ‘hoes’?
Ya know?
Prolly right! LOL
Then again, men of all ‘shades’ are pretty much skanks.
Of course, it takes ‘two’ to make a ‘skank’ I s’pose.
heh
To all who dis hip hop. Please keep in mind that you only hear the media mass produced crap the music execs let you hear. Hip hop as an art form is as diverse as any other music form and has its fair share of positive themes, lyrics, and artist. Unfortunately, the more positive stuff does not sell records. I am a hip hop fan, but I have to search to find the underground stuff worth listening to.