Reed College Newspaper Stomps all over the Line

[chuy]

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I found that part of Reed’s statement a bit troubling. I am opposed to censorship, but let’s not forget that the right of free speech comes with responsibilities. You can scream “Fire” in a crowded theater, but there are certainly legal consequences to doing so.</p>

<p>The “editors”, and I use the term very loosely, published copy that was insensitive and offensive to Jews and then “defended” their position by saying, “Oh well, we offended blacks too.”, (I guess the use of the word “faggoty” didn’t warrant mention), as if that somehow excused their actions.</p>

<p>As scualum points out, it’s now up to the Reed Administration to act and use this event as a “teaching opportunity”. The students need to see that words, while free to publish, do have repercussions. If the administration does not in some way censure these students they will become part of the problem.

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<p>I’m sorry, but this is pure, unadulterated bull.</p>

<p>You’re right, responsibility does come with the freedom of speech. They must now defend their writing of the piece to their friends and peers, and if enough people feel strongly enough about it they may well be ostracized by their peers, or professors may choose not to give them letters of recommendation, or any of several other avenues of consequence. The point of “freedom of speech” is that the government, or in this case the school, will not punish you for saying offensive things. If the school takes action against them they are now NOT free to publish. And if they’re not free to publish this then where is the line drawn? No person or group of people should ever be allowed to decide where the line is drawn on what words we can and cannot say, or what we can and cannot publish, so there must be no line.</p>

<p>Your “fire in theatre” example is the exact opposite of what you’re talking about. You’re NOT free to yell “fire” in a theatre any more than you’re free to walk outside and kill someone. You can be arrested and charged by the government either way. But what you are free to do, and what you should be free to do, and what I pray you are never not free to do, is say offensive things. Even if those things are wrong, or evil, or terribly offensive (and in this case unfunny,) the right to say them should never be infringed upon.</p>

<p>The paper as a whole doesn’t look very funny and I doubt more than a couple hundred people ever would have seen the thing if everyone hadn’t done exactly what the paper wanted and acted as their advertising machine. If you want to say the kids are stupid and made a really horrible decision then I’m all for that; I agree. If you want to say that, assuming the university does fund this paper which judging from the fact that it is published on wordpress I’m not sure of, they should stop funding the paper then that is ok as well. There is only so much money and it shouldn’t be spent on crude unfunny papers. But if you want to say that Reed should somehow punish them for what they published in a satire paper? No. Never. Not in America.</p>