Hate speech creates fear
While open discourse is an important and essential part of the college learning environment, the University of Chicago’s stance on near-complete freedom of speech fails to acknowledge that the right to “freedom of speech” has increasingly been used to justify hate speech.
Unlike in the past, a First Amendment defense for speech is less likely to be used by student activists or minority groups on campus, and more likely to be invoked, for example, by students defending an event such as “Conquistadors and Aztec Hoes,” a fraternity party planned on our campus in 2012, then swiftly canceled after Latino students and their allies protested.
These kinds of views and actions are blatantly racist and are meant to target and stereotype an entire group of people. Such views and actions are also the kind defended by the report and statement the university issued in January that unequivocally favors freedom of speech.
By failing to put limits on — or even mention — this type of behavior, the university’s report fails to protect freedom of expression for all members of its campus. Hate speech restricts freedom of expression by creating an environment so hostile to the targeted group that its members fear speaking out.
Although an offensively themed party might not seem like a serious infringement on First Amendment rights, it is just one of many incidents of racial bias on our campus, including ethnically offensive Halloween costumes, a homophobic and racist prank allegedly played on a black mail carrier, and a Facebook page that welcomed racism. All have created an unwelcoming environment for too many students.
Although it is difficult to define exactly what qualifies as hate speech, this is not a conversation the university should shy away from; it is one the university should encourage.
A policy completely open to all speech allows students to cloak hate speech under the guise of free speech. At a university that strives to promote open discourse and a diversity of perspectives, this should never be tolerated.