By Cameron Quinby
Editorial Editor
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Maybe you’ve never read or heard these words exactly as they appear above, but there’s a good chance you recognize what they are: The First Amendment to the Constitution. This Amendment guarantees five basic freedoms: freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to assemble peacefully, and freedom to petition the government.
In the age of “political correctness”, unfortunately, it’s becoming more and more common for expression to be censored or otherwise limited.
The University of New Hampshire created a “bias-free language guide” that encouraged replacing words like “healthy” with “non-disabled individual” and “Caucasian” with “European-American individuals” in order to be more politically correct. The guide was later removed after it sparked some public outrage. The University of New Hampshire is not alone, though. Many college campuses across the U.S. have banned words deemed offensive.
In a perfect world, nobody says cruel, derogatory things. But this world is far from perfect, and forbidding the use of such words really does nothing to change the opinions of those who use them. Education and experience are far better tools than censorship. I don’t think that college students need to be so sheltered as to ban offensive language on campus. Many -if not most- college students already have experience in the workforce, and have dealt with the ignorance and insensitivity of the general public. “Educational institutions must be a place for the exchange and criticism of all ideas – even of the best ideas – as well as those deemed unpalatable by some.” Peter Tatchell
Freedom of expression is arguably our most fundamental right. The media outlets we use to broadcast our opinions act as a catalyst for change. It’s only natural that there are stupid or ill-informed pieces of information all over the place, but these shouldn’t be an excuse to limit free expression. We, as consumers of information, are responsible for what information we believe.