Free Speech? One College Bucks the Tide

It was so refreshing to me recently to read that the Dean of Students of the University of Chicago sent entering students a welcoming letter which informed them that the university they were about to enter was not an intellectually safe space, that they would be confronted with ideas which would make them uncomfortable. “(T)hat one of the University of Chicago ‘s defining characteristics is our commitment to freedom of inquiry and expression…Members of our community are encouraged to speak, write, listen, challenge and learn, without fear of censorship…
“(W)e expect members of our community to be engaged in rigorous debate, discussion, and even disagreement. At times this may challenge you and even cause discomfort…(W)e don’t support ‘trigger warnings,’ we don’t cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual ‘safe spaces’ where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own…The members of our community must have the freedom to espouse and explore a wide range of ideas.”
As for me, I have never lived in a safe space, have never been sheltered, for which I am immensely grateful. Standing on my own feet taught me how to make it in this life. The freedom to scrap with others, to be knocked down at times and to emerge the victor at other times has caused me to thrive emotionally as an individual.
The freedoms we have in this country are a source of enormous joy to me. I can’t stand being told what to do by someone with assumed authority over me. Our freedom to speak in this country has enabled the best ideas to flow to the top and is a fundamental reason for our prosperity. But not just for our prosperity, but for our sense of wellbeing.
A recent letter writer to this newspaper challenged, in no uncertain terms, something which I had written. When we contacted her to confirm that she, in fact, was the writer before running her letter, she expressed surprise that we would run it. Not only would we run it, but we also welcomed it; the expression of opposing ideas builds our community.  This is the reason I am such a staunch supporter of Spout Off – this anonymous feature has vastly increased citizen engagement in the affairs of our community. I contend, it is the ideas which are important, not where the idea comes from.
There is a significant effort to shut down free expression in our nation; and, in order to preserve the magic of this great land, we must fight to preserve freedom of expression. Who has the right to tell another person not to express himself or herself? I contend, the people trying to shut up others desire to do so because they cannot win the argument.
Allow me to retell a story. Our son, Benjamin, was at a conference in California where Ariana Huffington was the featured speaker. She said that the science is settled as to the causes of global warming and that we need to stop talking about it and start acting. During the Q & A afterward, Benjamin told her that the science was settled on the fact that the sun was the center of the universe and that the Church wanted no more discussion of the matter. It turns out the Church was wrong, and fortunately, people kept talking despite being told not to.
Art Hall
From the Bible:  Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.  Romans 12:3