In Ben Shapiro’s testimony before the Congressional Oversight Committee on July 27, 2017, he argues that students, faculty members and administrators at American colleges and universities have conspired to shut down free the expression of viewpoints that do not conform to an ideologically liberal agenda. Shapiro argues that individuals that want to prevent speakers with particular points of view from speaking on campuses use a three step justification for denying them access. In step one, deniers posit that the validity of a speaker’s argument is defined by his or her racial, ethnic, or gender identity; only people of color, women, and members of the LBGTQ community have legitimate arguments to make. In step two, deniers equate speech with which they disagree with violence. In step three, deniers argue that using physical violence to combat this ‘verbal’ violence is justified.
The three step argument that Shapiro attributes to the opposition oversimplifies the motives and intentions of these protestors. His contention that ‘their’ argument leads to violence is weak; only a small fraction of the protestors in these incidents have resorted to violence. It is the responsibility of a school’s administration, hopefully in concert with representatives of the student body and the faculty, to provide a forum for speakers who will inform and stimulate the academic discourse rather than merely acting as provocateurs to promote his or her career. This is a very complex and difficult task in the current highly polarized political environment because of the subjectivity involved in determining what is genuine discourse and what is deliberate hate speech designed to gain attention and further an ideological agenda. Schools must develop a protocol for on-campus speaker programs that protect everyone’s right to free speech while preserving intellectual and academic integrity.
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"Free Speech on American Campuses".
- Challenges to Freedom of Speech on Campuses. (July 27, 2017). https://oversight.house.gov/hearing/challenges-freedom-speech-college-campuses/
