At Oxford, some think being the first to ‘call out’ and ‘cancel’ is a step up

Iused to relish telling people that I go to the University of Oxford; to some extent I still do. However, now when I sheepishly tell another conference attendee this, it is met with sympathetic tuts and murmurs of “that must be tough”. They don’t mean the workload. They mean the abysmal culture of intolerance towards freedom of speech that has somehow manifested here.

And they’re right. I’m careful who I tell about my dissertation on the topic of gender. My heart races when a new person asks what I’m doing, and I have to make a snap decision about whether it’s safe to tell them, and if it’s worth it. Peers ask, “Why are you going to Kathleen Stock’s event?” with narrowed eyes and suspicious tones. I spend so much time biting my tongue in conversation. Even basic truths can be unsayable in the wrong circles.

But I’m getting braver. Surprisingly, those who are truly against free speech are fairly rare. They are led by a very aggressive minority, often oppressors dressed as victims. Behind them are another small group of self-hating ideologues, and other confused but well-meaning supporters. However, the majority of students, I have found, are actually quite sensible. Yet, at first glance, it is almost impossible to tell these groups apart.

Privately, many students will confess the sin of agreeing with you. In public, however, it is very different. They’ll dutifully “like” online posts condemning people such as Ms Stock, even though they told you how brave they think she is, and how much they loved her book. They’ll vote through motions, even though they don’t actually want to give up their toilets or language. They have their pronouns on their Instagram, even though they find it embarrassing. And sometimes, they’ll even lead the fight to destroy the ideas and people they privately agree with. All of this creates an illusion that everyone feels the same. A shared psychosis. The emperor’s gender-neutral clothes. Once you realise this, you wonder why everyone keeps doing it, even though they are making themselves miserable. Other than social pressure, the answer is often selfish gain.

Oxford is full of very bright and ambitious people who want to be a future prime minister. Combined with the entitlement of many Oxford students, this is a dangerous mix. They will do anything to get there, and they have learned that “cancelling” and virtue-signalling is the way to do it. They spend as much time searching for a person to “call out” or a cause to rally against, as they do in libraries.

Everything is competitive. It came as no surprise to hear that a “network” was set up to protest against Ms Stock’s event. I remember how, at the dawn of the invasion of Ukraine, students scrambled to be the one who set up the university’s Ukrainian Society. Once formed, it was immediately added to some of the victorious founders’ Linkedin and Twitter biogs, even though they were yet to do anything.

Even basic human connection is tainted at Oxford. Every student will, at some point, learn what a “hack” is, and realise that they did not make a new friend (“we should do coffee some time, yeah?”), but the entire interaction was designed to get your vote for whatever minor position they may be running for in that term.

At parties and events, people live in fear of something they say or do being recorded. This is more than just the effects of the internet age – it is well known that certain people, especially in student politics or journalism, often secretly audio record the evening in the hope of catching someone out.

Furthermore, nothing is off limits. Family issues, mental health, relationships – all of it can and will be used against you.

Given all this, it is unsurprising that free speech is struggling here.

A collective sigh of relief was released across the city when academics wrote their letter in support of free speech. Perhaps it will break the collective spell that lingers over the dreaming spires and students will wake up to realise that they have nothing to fear and everything to gain from valuing discussion and debate.

I hope that the Oxford Union committee knows how much many students value what they do and what they represent. They are fighting a battle that many of us are too afraid to do ourselves. However, “courage calls to courage everywhere” (Millicent Fawcett). I hope that more students get tired of playing this game. The more students who refuse to participate, the sooner we can get on with what we came here to do in peace.

They’ll ‘like’ posts that condemn Kathleen Stock, even though they told you how brave they think she is

Certain students secretly record entire parties in the hope of catching someone out