More travails of Free Speech on Campus

Both in this country and on the other side of the Atlantic the battle for free speech on Campus is far from won.

What is all the more difficult is that those who suppress free speech nearly always cloak their actions in the language of tolerance and diversity, or in support of causes no reasonable person would want to appear to be opposing, such as tackling a culture in which rape on campus is too common, or opposition to racism.

If you want to see how easy it is to touch off an astonishing row in which there are threats not just to free speech, but to people's jobs consider what has just happened at Yale, where an email which attempted to start a debate about what costumes it is acceptable to wear during the "Trick or Treat" season at Halloween caused an amazing degree of trouble.

You can read Erika Christakis email which touched off the problems at Yale at:

https://www.thefire.org/email-from-erika-christakis-dressing-yourselves-email-to-silliman-college-yale-students-on-halloween-costumes/

And here is a Kate Maltby article in the Spectator about the extreme reaction to that email:

http://blogs.new.spectator.co.uk/2015/11/yales-students-have-exercised-their-right-to-be-treated-like-children/

"Spiked" has set up a website which ranks British Universities by how sympathetic they are too free speech. It's their opinions not mine but does not make comfortable reading.

Free speech on campus site http://www.spiked-online.com/free-speech-university-rankings#.VkKNxstFDvw

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