<p>"Students on NC State's campus are debating whether graffiti considered offensive by some is free expression of racism." Looks like they should post some rules regarding free expression.</p>
<p>Students</a> protest graffiti in Free Expression Tunnel | abc11.com</p>
<p>I’ve obviously made myself known as a liberal and a Obama supporter around here, but sometimes universities go too far in their censorship.</p>
<p>A racist picture in a communal student tunnel may be inappropriate, especially since students “sort of” live on campus, but PC and censorship often go too far in universities.</p>
<p>I’m not supporting the drawing in this instance, though I think it’s a complicated issue.</p>
<p>However, if someone had this picture in their window it would be quite legal. Let us remember that although there are a litany of anti-discrimination laws in terms of crimes and workplace issues, in public there is no law against making racists statements or being a racist. It is, in fact, free speech.</p>
<p>Obviously racism is horrible, but the idea is, it can also be taken too far. An innocent comment may be taken for racism, and then let the speech censorship begin.</p>
<p>If you are a living, breathing human, you WILL get offended from time to time. You do NOT have the right NOT to be offended, though. Some people are offended by South Park; some people are offended by woman who show their exposed faces in public. It’s not grounds for censorship.</p>
<p>Either it’s a “free expression” tunnel or it ain’t. Don’t make a shrine to freedom of expression and then make all sorts of rules. There wouldn’t be any controversy if they had said in the first place that this was just a place to write any non-obscene, non-hurtful things, rather than dragging first amendment rights into it.</p>
<p>Does anyone else find the whole idea of a tunnel full of graffiti trashy?</p>
<p>^</p>
<p>I find a lot about NC State trashy. </p>
<p>Getting back to the original discussion though, “free speech” is not synonymous with “speech that you want to hear.” If you really want to promote free expression, you have to tolerate the hurtful speech that can come along with it. “Blocking” the entrance to the free expression tunnel represents de facto censorship and is markedly un-American.</p>
<p>What do you expect? They’re a bunch of indoctrinated statist planners who hate freedom.</p>