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Unpopular opinion: The 'heckler's veto' is killing real debate at my school
I saw a guest speaker get shouted down at UC Berkeley last month for having a view people didn't like. The crowd called it a protest, but it was just stopping everyone else from hearing him. This matters because now the administration just cancels events if they think there will be a loud reaction, which means we never get to argue with ideas we disagree with. Has your campus started doing this too, where a few loud people decide what gets said for everyone?
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sean_green443d ago
What happens when the shouting works and the school just stops booking those speakers? We're not just losing one talk, we're losing the whole chance to even hear a different side. It feels like they're treating students like we can't handle a tough idea without melting down.
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wyatt1353d ago
Saw the same thing at my state school. A guy talking about climate policy got drowned out by chanting. Security just stood there. Now the student groups are scared to book anyone even slightly controversial. Feels like we traded debate for a permission slip from the loudest kids in the room.
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