One day a teacher asked the students in class, “If there are any saps in here, will you please stand up?” After a moment of silence, one student stood up. The teacher asked him with a sneer, “Now then sir, why on earth do you believe you are a sap?” “Well, in fact, I don’t,” he responded, “but I hate to see you standing alone like this.” This funny experience which happened one day at the lecture on philosophy has already become an anecdote. It shows what may happen if free speech on campus is not actually based on mutual respect among all the participants of the educational process. Thus, there is no doubt that there should be limits set to establish healthy habits of free speech on campus. And I believe this standard is, first of all, a due respect among everybody. Reciprocal respect among the students and teachers should be a firm foundation for free speech on campus.
It is sad to say that many students and teachers abuse their right of free speech using it to offend, discriminate or hurt the others. In addition, they may spread false things about the other individuals or groups. However, such use of one’s right for freedom of speech contradicts basic notions which support this fragile harmony among people in our diversified reality. Therefore, academic setting should have limits of free speech allowed in it; otherwise, there will be numerous problems. Often, the participants of educational process come from the most varied cultures and backgrounds. This may lead to the most serious problems in their relationships which, in turn, may destruct them from educational process and thus, affect the very purpose of the person’s participation in it. So the importance is great in establishing reasonable limits of free speech on campus which are based on due respect to every participant of the education process, reasonableness and rationality.
Speaking about the proper limits of free speech in an academic setting, it should be stated that there must be some free speech rules developed and accepted in every educational establishment. First of all, every person is to understand that offensive speech is by no means allowed on campus. It causes conflicts and deprives the participants of the educational process of their joy and courage in accomplishing their academic tasks. So, I believe the set of rules concerning the free speech limits should feature such important categories as the necessity to respect cultural, national, political and religious peculiarities of every student and teacher, the need to respect the peculiarities of each person’s perception of the world and the importance to respect every individual’s personal beliefs and principles. In addition, this set should include restrictions on any speech that stimulates hatred or violence among any people participating in the educational process. All in all, hate speech is something that free speech on campus must never be about. What important details can be mentioned when it comes to hate speech and its definition?
Hate speech is any hurtful or abusive speech that causes violence and hatred among people on the reason of their ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, religious beliefs, political preferences and any other personal world perception peculiarities. Such speech only leads to damage and pain; it has no connection with the basic human values of respect, tolerance and liberality. When it comes to hate speech, I believe there is not even use to talk about the basic human right of freedom of speech and it’s violated by banning this sort of abusive speech. Speech is what makes a human being different from animals, what elevates a human being to the high position of the apex of all creation. Using speech to offend the living being equal to you has nothing in common with the elevated notion of the basic human right of freedom of speech.
Moreover, educational establishments are the places where students are trained to become a part of the world’s society. In case the notion of free speech on campus will be misinterpreted and evil ones will use their free speech policy to hurt others, what sad consequences this will lead to? Initially, this will be the hurt feelings, oppression and violence among the students, but further on, who knows what may happen. How did it happen that the saddest conflicts in the history of humanity started? What hate speech has in common with such evils as fascism, terrorism and many more? What if wise people including ingenious politicians and diplomats would not use their free speech to overcome the effects of hate speech?
Concluding on the information related above, it should be stated that free speech on campus should, by all means, reflect due respect among all the participants of the educational process. Thus, the anecdote mentioned at the beginning of the paper would have a very different interpretation and its prototype would never have happened in reality as the teacher would be more selective in addressing his students with questions and the students would be more careful with their sayings addressing somebody’s dignity.