The "Speech-Denialists"

by Daniel Mael • June 2, 2015 at 5:00 am

In denying the average college student the opportunity to hear, think, question and learn, these minority organizations violated the basic principles of a liberal arts education and what higher learning should presumably be about: challenging assumptions and talking openly about issues that might cause discomfort.
Both micro-sensitivity and political correctness require at best, obfuscating information, and at worst, silencing it.

Lake Superior State University's campus code of conduct states that wall postings "deemed offensive, sexist, vulgar, discriminatory or suggestive will not be approved." (Image source: Bobak Ha'Eri/Wikimedia Commons)

On college campuses, teachers, students and sometimes even administrators seem to have become ever more eager to block any idea with which they disagree.

Often it appears as if their first impulse is to demonize the individual or organization presenting the offending idea, rather than to address the substance of the argument and open a discussion in the "free marketplace of ideas."

On the campus of Lake Superior State University, wall postings "deemed offensive, sexist, vulgar, discriminatory or suggestive will not be approved." The campus code of conduct states that if students fail to comply, they may be disciplined -- a rule that was named "Speech Code of the Month" for May by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE).

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Turkey: "Home of Bad Jokes"

by Burak Bekdil • June 2, 2015 at 4:00 am

The Turks physically "conquered" Istanbul back in 1453, but pious Turks apparently think that if "conquest" is to be complete, all traces of "Christian heritage" must be wiped out.
It is the same mindset that convinces Turks that Jerusalem, first built about 10 centuries before the birth of Islam, is a sacred Islamic city.
With the possible reopening of the Hagia Sophia (originally a church) as a mosque, they will gather to pray for the liberation of the "holy Muslim city" of Jerusalem.

Turkish Islamists rally in front of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, demanding that it be converted to a mosque. (Image source: Ahsen TV video screenshot)

In 2014, a group of marketing gurus produced impressive visual material that became Turkey's public relations (PR) face across the globe. The campaign, aiming to make Turkey one of the world's top five tourist destinations by 2023, danced around the slogan "Home of..." "Home of Coffee," one poster said. "Home of Trade," said another. The list included "Home of Troy," "Home of Ancient Gods" and "Home of the Iliad," too. But not just that. According to the PR campaign, Turkey was also "Home of Virgin Mary" and "Home of Christianity." The latter two sufficed to make Turkey "Home of Bad Jokes."

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