Over the past few years, the American political and ideological landscape has become more and more polarized than it has been in decades. Our nation is home to many different opinions on what it takes to make “that perfect American system,” and, thus, groups exist all across the political spectrum voicing their arguments as loudly as possible. However, this polarization is making civil discussion a rarer phenomenon, and is turning the act of exercising your free speech into a much more nerve-wracking experience.
Last November, former White House Director of Communications Anthony Scaramucci resigned from his position on an advisory board at Tufts University after threatening to sue an opinion writer at Tufts Daily, a school newspaper, for writing pieces that called Scaramucci an “irresponsible, inconsistent and unethical opportunist.”
My positions on Scaramucci, the administration he worked for and the ideologies of these individuals do not matter. It has nothing to do with whether or not I believe Camilo A. Caballero, the Tufts Daily opinion writer in question, had the right to write what he did. I do, however, vehemently support the right to free speech while fully acknowledging the tendency for controversy and discord that it can bring.
Colleges, their students and the platforms for free speech that they bring are all a major aspect of what makes college such an esteemed institution. College campuses are some of the best environments in the world to create and spread messages about what we care about. For example, college newspapers, such as Technician, give me and my fellow writers a way to write about our opinions and argue them to others on campus. Similarly, all students on campus come with their own set of unique and dynamic views of the world, and a college campus allows us to offer our perspectives and grow from others.
This is why Scaramucci’s attempted lawsuit is so concerning. I fear that it could be a bad omen for future censorship and the destruction of environments for civil discussion. If a student feels uncomfortable about sharing an opinion that others may deem “controversial” or “threatening,” then I worry about what could be next. This kind of legal action against a college newspaper writer could potentially chip away at universities and their enthusiasm to challenge their students.
This recent event is another microcosm displaying how free speech has been under attack recently. I am not implying that Scaramucci was going after free speech directly, but I do believe that this exemplifies the recent attitude I previously mentioned about the degradation of free speech.
I believe most people, sometimes myself included, are guilty of turning to emotion rather than logic when we encounter differing viewpoints. Spending more than five minutes on Facebook will inevitably make you angry over some political post with an opinion so vastly opposed to yours that it seems baffling. However, in those moments, it is important that we all don’t immediately reach for our torches and pitchforks, but rather that we collect ourselves and seek out civil discussion so that we may learn from differing ideologies and argue our own stances.
Furthermore, I believe that this event can also be used to discuss the proper and improper ways of handling criticism toward ourselves and our actions. When I was younger, I was prone to viewing any sort of critique thrown my way as an attack. While I’ve (for the most part) grown out of that, I unfortunately see that same defensiveness in some of my friends and acquaintances. As long as the criticism is fair, constructive and not derogatory, then we should absolutely take it into consideration.
It is a very odd time we live in. It is a time where controversial opinions are getting more platforms from which to project while, simultaneously, it may feel uncomfortable to speak up about how you feel. To those worried about repercussions for speaking your mind, as long as you are fair, considerate and give proper accessibility for discussion, then you have done your part to make free speech the cherished pillar of our nation that it should be.
