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Op/Ed - Rude students ruin Informative Discussion
By Aaron Jeske
It is a basic manner to listen when people talk. It is also a well-known fact that some people do not have manners. What is not so well known is that it is those without manners who are the greatest danger to freedom of speech on this campus.
Last Wednesday the Conservative Union, a registered student group on campus who has hosted many speakers in the past, hosted their final speaker of this academic year, David Horowitz. What promised to be an informative lecture and a nice eye-opener to students on campus was turned into a display of disrespect for both Mr. Horowitz and the Conservative Union and their right to free speech. As a member of the Conservative Union I am appalled and frustrated by the way the event was hijacked and ruined by members of the Muslim Student Association and other leftist organizations
For the three days leading up to the event I volunteered my time to promote the event from a table inside of the Union. While tabling we entertained any debate on the subject, so long as the debate was conducted in a relatively peaceful and informative manner. For the most part the debate was peaceful. Yet on the day of the event the debate turned into an aggressive and threatening attack. A confrontation was initiated by Muslim Student Association students and their allies quickly got out of hand and turned into a hostile atmosphere for myself and others who were promoting the event. This disregard for common respect included direct actions against our right to free speech. Our flyers were ripped off the table and the bulletin boards around campus, the literature we were distributing was stolen right off our table and our ability to promote the event was hampered due to the intimidating mob that surrounded around us.
But the events that transpired that afternoon were only a precursor to the travesty that was to happen during the lecture itself. The event had to be held under special security that included metal detectors and armed police to safeguard both the safety of Mr. Horowitz and the audience. This level of security proved to be necessary as certain members of the audience from MSA and other student organizations proceeded to interrupt, insult and even threaten Horowitz while he was attempting to give his lecture.
That minority of the audience who hijacked the lecture are the most rude and disrespectful people I have ever seen. If you do not agree with the speaker, you should either go home or wait until the designated question and answer section to ask an informed question. What I witnessed was a slew of imbeciles who interrupted Horowitz’s lecture to insult him with name-calling, shouting and generally uninformed and slanderous comments. Instructions were placed on every seat before the event to warn that this kind of behavior would not be tolerated, and indeed many people were ejected. The few who survived the lecture to actually make use of the Q&A proceeded to abuse the time they were allowed by insulting and threatening Horowitz rather than asking a real question.
As a student I believe that the University should be a place of open minds and open discussion. It should be a place where intelligent people can gather and hopefully out the problems that plague humanity and work to create a better society. Yet after the events of last Wednesday it is obvious to me that this ideal is far from the truth here at UWM. The sheer fact that we have to have metal detectors and armed guards just to host a speaker is appalling. The Conservative Union has every right to arrange speakers to give lectures they feel are relevant and beneficial to the student body and the local community. However it is apparent that members of MSA do not believe we have the right to free speech unless we agree with them. They are allowed to hijack our events without sanction, and I feel this is a major flaw within our university system. Violation of the First Amendment is among the highest of human rights violations and should be punished accordingly.
The Conservative Union will continue to bring speakers to campus and will not be intimidated by those who seek to undermine their rights. I encourage members of student organizations across campus to put pressure on the administration and on student government to enact polices that will protect free speech rights at UWM. This is our school and we should stand together to keep it open and free no matter who attacks our rights.
> Comments
Hah on May 05, 2008 at 09:35 AM:
Fighting hate speech is good.
JF on May 05, 2008 at 11:15 AM:
Free speech is great, but where do you draw the line? This is a university and students have the right to voice their opinion too. If I brought in a speaker who spent their whole lecture denouncing Christianity and calling it a terrorist religion, I would be expected to get a protest and heckling. Plus, who should be allowed to speak at our University? Should neo-nazis be allowed to speak at our University or White Power leaders? Horowitz was a former Marxist-Stalinist and now is vulgar propagandist. Bringing Horowitz and placing that ad crossed the line of being blatantly racist and decent people shouldn't tolerate it.
Not on our campus on May 05, 2008 at 12:03 PM:
"those without manners who are the greatest danger to freedom of speech on this campus."
Don't worry about the corrupt SA government, the "sedition act", fascism, or racism ... but a kid with bad manners.
Those with bad manners are the ones who are brave enough to stop racist hate speech on their campus. This was a public event preaching hate for Muslims. I applaud anyone who will fight the Neo-con white power movement.
Aaron Jeske on May 05, 2008 at 12:17 PM:
Name one thing that Horowitz said that was racist
Johanan Raatz on May 05, 2008 at 01:31 PM:
TO 'Hah';
"Fighting hate speech is good."
Why yes it is. Especially when that hate speech is patriotically incorrect hate speech. :) The dirty bigots who say patriotically incorrect hate speech should be ashamed of themselves.
So do you have any other great ideas? :)~ I'd sure like to hear them! :)
To JF;
Horowitz was not saying that Islam was a terrorist religion. In fact he specifically indicated during his talk that he was fighting for those Muslims who are oppressed under Islamofascist Sharia law. He's not against Islam. In fact he is trying to liberate Muslims from their Islamofascist oppressors. As a progressive people we should help in this fight. Also the people who instigated the incivility at the event were those who opposed him. When he responded back harshly he pointed out that he was merely reciprocating in kind to their initial incivility.
To 'Not on our campus';
"I applaud anyone who will fight the Neo-con white power movement."
That's hate speech against the neoconservative community. As a neoconservative I feel deeply offended. You should be ashamed of promoting bigotry against the neoconservative community.
Re: Raatz on May 05, 2008 at 04:50 PM:
Yes, Neocons suck. And the power of you movement is wanning. Enjoy floating into obscurity. Bye Bye : )
Johanan Raatz on May 05, 2008 at 06:49 PM:
"Neocons suck."
No Neocons rock. Especially the Straussian types. One thing they do do very well from even a non-neocon point of view is to teach the left lessons on civility. Usually these lessons end up coming the hard way (which makes them all the funnier when they do happen) but this feature has been noted in non-neocon circles in the right.
"And the power of you movement is wanning. Enjoy floating into obscurity. Bye Bye : )"
Beleive we'll be back. We always come back. Usually under some other name with some slightly different game but we always come back. You can't get rid of us that easily.
p on May 06, 2008 at 12:31 AM:
"That minority of the audience who hijacked the lecture...." Hijacked? Interesting choice of words. They're terrorists!!!! Be afraid!
hah on May 06, 2008 at 02:21 AM:
Maybe instead of having security escort anyone out that asked a question that clashed with what Horowitz said they should have just rounded them all up and sent them off to Gitmo.
Especially all those Ay-rabs - er, Muslims - in the MSA that are crazy jihadists that want to kill everyone, or something. Wait, is that how it goes, Horowitz? Yeah, something like that.
hah on May 06, 2008 at 02:21 AM:
Maybe instead of having security escort anyone out that asked a question that clashed with what Horowitz said they should have just rounded them all up and sent them off to Gitmo.
Especially all those Ay-rabs - er, Muslims - in the MSA that are crazy jihadists that want to kill everyone, or something. Wait, is that how it goes, Horowitz? Yeah, something like that.
Aaron Jeske on May 06, 2008 at 10:35 AM:
"Maybe instead of having security escort anyone out that asked a question that clashed with what Horowitz said they should have just rounded them all up and sent them off to Gitmo."
To my knowlege so long as the question was asked during the DESIGNATED Q AND A SECTION no one was asked to leave.
"That minority of the audience who hijacked the lecture...." Hijacked? Interesting choice of words. They're terrorists!!!! Be afraid!"
Ah good old leftist political correctness. Well when someone takes control of anything away from its original owner I'm sorry but the word is hijacked. If you could give a better world to fit that definition by all means show me the light.
By the way still waiting for the example of racist speech that Horowitz said during the lecture...
David Horowitz on May 13, 2008 at 11:37 AM:
I'm an idiot.
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