in World News Princeton Student Unhinged: First Amendment Doesn’t Apply to Conservatives
“When conservative ideas are opposed, there is no right that is being infringed.”
by Trey Sanchez
There’s plenty to be said about this op-ed in The Daily Princetonian, but it’s best to let the student, Ryan Born, dig his own grave:
It seems that, nowadays, cries for “free speech” ring from campus to campus. The term has become quite famous and quite popular. Perhaps it owes its popularity to how vague it is. It generally comes from conservatives in response to some sort of censoring of ideas. In its own way, “free speech” has become conservatives’ rhetorical weapon of choice, defended by right-leaning groups and thinkers both on and off campus…
Conservatives would have you believe that their insistence on free speech is related to a desire for intellectual diversity and openness of discussion. When conservatives appeal to “free speech,” it is actually a calculated political move, designed to open up avenues of political discourse while shaming others from moving in active political opposition. I argue that when conservatives resort to this move, they can be safely ignored, as they are appealing to a right that does not exist. In my belief, when conservative ideas are opposed, there is no right that is being infringed.
Born’s word salad contends that “conservatives are interested in being able to propose their ideas without any political opposition to their right to speech.” He says their perception of the First Amendment is not what the Founding Fathers intended. Therefore, the intention of his screed is:
I am not arguing that conservatives do not expect intellectual opposition to their content; instead, I am arguing against their right to be heard and accepted.
And Born makes clear that his kind will do whatever it takes to silence the ideas of conservatism. The “opposition” to those ideas will come in the form of “disinvitations, protests, and boycotts,” and inevitably fires and smashed faces as we’ve seen at UC-Berkeley and other campuses across the United States.
Yes, the Left’s motto is, “Free speech for me, but not for thee!”
Born concludes:
There is no such thing as “social free speech,” where “free” refers to a right to speak free from obstinate opposition. And if conservatives disagree, they are welcome to it. I, and others, are happy to respond accordingly. Really, that’s the problem, what conservatives can’t stand, what they can’t imagine could be true: speech is free.
H/T Campus Reform