Yale Students: The First Amendment is Outdated

Yale University
© Ad Meskens / Wikimedia Commons

Here is some depressing news out of Yale University. A majority of students favor restricting free speech on campus.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

To put some numbers behind that perception, The William F. Buckley Jr. Program at Yale recently commissioned a survey from McLaughlin & Associates about attitudes towards free speech on campus. Some 800 students at a variety of colleges across the country were surveyed. The results, though not surprising, are nevertheless alarming. By a margin of 51 percent to 36 percent, students favor their school having speech codes to regulate speech for students and faculty. Sixty-three percent favor requiring professors to employ “trigger warnings” to alert students to material that might be discomfiting. One-third of the students polled could not identify the First Amendment as the part of the Constitution that dealt with free speech. Thirty-five percent said that the First Amendment does not protect “hate speech,” while 30 percent of self-identified liberal students say the First Amendment is outdated.

The fact that one-third of the student body can’t identify the First Amendment as part of of the Constitution that deals with free speech (freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble, and freedom to petition government) should be seen as a black mark on public education.  This is an Ivy League school – these students are supposed to be the cream of the crop.

Regarding the majority view who believes there should be speech codes on campus, but they believe it should be mandatory.  You knock down the First Amendment the others will be sure to follow.

This shouldn’t surprise us however.  The First Amendment has been under attack for generations and statists are starting to bear the fruit of their labors.

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Shane Vander Hart

Editor & Founder at Caffeinated Thoughts

Shane Vander Hart is the founder and editor-in-chief of Caffeinated Thoughts.  He is also the President of 4:15 Communications, LLC, a social media & communications consulting/management firm.  Prior to this Shane spent 20 years in youth ministry serving in church, parachurch, and school settings.  He has also served as an interim pastor and is a sought-after speaker and pulpit fill-in.  Shane has been married to his wife Cheryl since 1993 and they have three kids.  Shane and his family reside near Des Moines, IA.

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