Parky60 Loc: People's Republic of Illinois

Poll: Landslide Majority of College Students Support Restricting 'Offensive' Speech
Jack Davis ~ May 24, 2020
A new survey of college students shows that more students believe in curbing speech they believe to be offensive than in preserving wide open free speech rights.

The survey was conducted by Gallup for the Knight Foundation, a nonprofit, pro-First Amendment group.

The survey found that 68 percent of the students who responded believe that citizens’ free speech rights are “extremely important” to democracy.

However, the figure pales in comparison to the number of students who think colleges should be able to muzzle speech that could be considered “offensive.”

Seventy-eight percent of students said colleges should be able to restrict free speech to ban the use of “language that is intentionally offensive to certain groups,” such as slurs against a student’s race, g****r or sexual orientation.

The 2020 edition of the poll found that support for restraining offensive speech has grown. When the poll was conducted in 2016, only 69 percent of students thought colleges should be able to restrict certain forms of speech. That rose to 73 percent in 2017.

The poll noted an increase in students who think colleges should be able to restrict what the Knight Foundation called “costumes that stereotype certain racial or ethnic groups.” In the 2020 poll, 71 percent of students said they felt this way, compared to 60 percent in 2017.

College campuses reflect the same partisan divide that polls show everywhere else in the country, according to the survey.

Students who identify as Democrats favor restrictions more than those who are independents or Republicans. The poll said this peaks on the question of colleges being able to restrict stereotypical costumes, which is supported by 82 percent of Democrats but gets a roughly evenly split reaction among Republicans.

The Confederate f**g also divides students along partisan lines.

Sixty-eight percent of Democratic students said they think colleges should be able to restrict clothing with an image of the Confederate f**g, compared to only 26 percent of Republican students.

G****r and race also divide students, according to the poll, which noted that female and black students generally support restrictions on free speech more than male and white students.

Most students understand that free speech can be a casualty of a campus climate, with 63 percent agreeing with the statement that the climate at their campus “deters students from expressing themselves openly.”

That result was up from 54 percent in 2016.

The poll also found that students believe campus conservatives are less able to express themselves on campus.

In assessing the climate of social media, where students said most discussions take place, only 29 percent said social media debate is civil, compared to 41 percent in 2016.

The poll also said there’s a climate of fear on social media.

Fifty-eight percent said social media debate is negatively impacted by students living in fear that they will be “attacked or shamed” over their views. That figure was up from 49 percent in 2016.

Although almost three-quarters of the students surveyed said they believe colleges should not restrict political views that could upset others, 78 percent supported so-called “safe spaces” where what students perceive as “threatening actions, ideas or conversations” are banned.

“Results are based on web interviews with a random sample of 3,319 U.S. college students aged 18 to 24 who are currently enrolled as full-time students at four-year colleges, including an oversample of students at historically black colleges and universities,” the survey’s methodology section said.

“Web interviews were conducted Oct. 28-Dec. 19, 2019,” it added, pointing out that the margin of error was plus- or minus-2 percentage points.

Seth

One problem with the concept of banning "offensive" speech at education venues, be they college campuses or even high schools is that these environments are mostly controlled by Democrats (faculties, administrators, etc), and today's Democrats are highly adept at identifying anything with which they don't agree as "h**e speech."

All in all, an excellent way to encourage political and social myopia while attaching a ball and chain to the ankle of critical thinking.

Radiance3

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Why don't students complain about the LIES, FABRICATIONS, AND TWISTED FACTS that MSM's spew daily into the air? Every person speaking must have integrity of their words or language spoken, must be facts and not LIES. Lies are most dangerous because it destroys innocent victim, the focus where lies are centered to. It is so confusing now which is a r****t language or not. They want to stand for who they are like L**T'S, black ,or any darker color. What is wrong with the word black? I like black color. On a formal evening occasion, I love wearing black dress.
These students in college must know that public colleges and universities are mostly funded by taxpayers. All they do is complain about race.

DaWg44

Protesting college students use all of the foulest, most derogatory language in the world. All schools, colleges, universities need washing out.

In case you are planning on v****g for the Libertarian candidate just chosen, Clemson, where she is a psychology professor, is a liberal university now, just as bad as any of The Ivey League.

Larry Joe

Socialism at work. “We will stand for no disagreements with our Political Correctness and Socialist Agenda”. This has been coming since the late 60’s and 70’s. George Soros now owns the New Democrat Socialist Party.
America, this November’s e******n could well be your last chance to choose between Socialism and Capitalism.
Larry Joe

Smedley_buzkill

It is one of my fondest wishes that these brainless college students (I was one, decades ago) could spend a year living in the Socialist paradise they want to foist off on others.

Radiance3

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We will lose America if most people v**e democrats for Socialism. That is the handout mentality, until all they depend upon are gone. Then they become hungry s***es, s***es to their totalitarian ruler like Hugo Chavez.
Socialism and C*******m are like compact brothers of governance. The leader has all the power. People are under control by a tyrant dictator.

The people of Hongkong,after enjoying liberty for 99 years, are now fighting with their lives to maintain their freedom. China is
is now taking over everything from the people of Hongkong. Replace how they breath and think. The people are fighting with their lives, to maintain freedom.

Whereas, the radical dems political leaders are hungry for power. They brainwash their followers to have free everything. To give my taxes and others taxes to these free loaders, until they run out of assets to get.

Democrats are socialists, a prelude to c*******m. Right now the democrats like Obama and Biden, are defending c*******t China, than the American people who stand for liberty and freedom.

By protecting the American people, the democrats accused the president of being xenophobic. That is what's happening among the kids in colleges and universities, accusing president Trump of being xenophobic.

Gatsby

Those students are supposed to be adults, I wonder what went wrong?

Mollie

I'm completely 'for' offensive speech, especially because anything anyone on the right says is offensive to the left. What a great way for kids to learn, by hearing both sides of an issue. It's called learning..

Mike Easterday

I find college students offensive!

promilitary

And who of the thought police gets to define offensive speech?
These snowflakes need to study some history, especially Joseph Goebbels.

newbear Loc: New York City

Gatsby,

everything went according to the plan, they will soon be in charge of the culture and the "society"!