BF2S Forums Freedom of Speech in Public Institutions? Not if it attacks Israel

13/f/taiwan wrote:

What happened to the much reiterated and obsolete rhetoric by politicians about freedom of speech being a hallmark of US society and American exceptionalism?

The freedoms and other things America likes to boast about only apply to those in the in crowd. Society will only care about the rights and freedoms of the in crowd and will say fuck you to everyone not in the in crowd. Since Muslims and the middle east is still enemy #1, though they are starting to lose ground to China, and since people associate the anti Israel group with Muslims the rights of this group don't really matter. That is why you will not hear anything in the American media about this but you will hear a million other stories bemoaning someone "trampling" over freedom of speech or something else. This in crowd and out crowd is the same reason why the public went crazy over the TSA making people take off their shoes before boarding giant missiles but will defend to death the right of police to pull over and frisk black people at will in their neighborhoods. This hypocrisy destroys all confidence in America and its ideals and society and is why I am not going to any parades. It is also why community involvement in America has been on the decline for so long. A lot of people have lost all confidence in American society and just want to get theirs. I think this is a wonderful thing but that is for another time.

Basically the ideals that we hold up and aspire to are the very things causing our society to rot due to the disillusionment with society not following through with them.

I also find it interesting that politicians and supporters of Israel like to shot down any criticism of the state by claiming antisemitism. They will bring up the Jewish identity f the state in its defense but if you begin to point out how much of the state is propped up on racism then they will turn around and claim the state is a secular free democracy. Heritage trips for Jewish colleges student in order to make them lifelong supporters is a pretty racist tactic. One that Poseidon feel for.


What doe any of this have to do with the OP? ¯\(°_o)/¯ i dunno lol

13/f/taiwan wrote:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/02/brooklyn-college-bds-alan-dershowitz

www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/b … -1.1252604

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?secti … id=8975875

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/01/nyreg … .html?_r=0

A number of non-profit organizations have put together a forum which includes two guests who support the Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel campaign. The head of Brooklyn College's Political Science Department has agreed to host the event at the campus. Soon after people started to catch wind of this many noticable figures began to call the for cancellation of the event.

Brooklyn College is a public institution and is subsidized by the government. Politicians are not only speaking out against the boycott but threatening to cut off funding for the school.

It's incredibly frustrating to know that freedom of expression is in jeopardy because of the contrary views it holds to those in power. What happened to the much reiterated and obsolete rhetoric by politicians about freedom of speech being a hallmark of US society and American exceptionalism?

Those protesting the forum claim it's xenophobic and antisemitic. An argument which holds no weight because it assumes criticizing a nation that holds a religious population is the equivalent of attacking their religion.

Thoughts?

Politicians can say what they want, call for boycotts, etc.  People can put pressure on the school, the guests, call for cancellations all they want.  That is also a form of free speech.  If and only IF the event is cancelled is when free speech is attacked.

You said it - the argument for cancellation is nonsensical.  But this isn't an example of free speech being quashed until the actual event is cancelled.

It is always about the hipsters with you.

KEN-JENNINGS wrote:

New hispter fad to be pro-palestine? Are you mentally challenged?

http://studentactivism.net/2009/02/19/b … ay-at-nyu/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashid_Khalidi

NYU... Columbia...

Go to Brooklyn and you'll be hit with pamphlets getting off the subway promoting Marxism and anti-Zionism.

Last edited by Jay (2013-02-06 10:40:08)

NYU and Columbia are expensive schools. A lot of wealthy people go there. Since there is a cultural divide between the rich and poor, shouldn't NYU students know better than Jay Galt military veteran.

Fortunately, Karen Gould stood her ground and will allow the event to continue.

@Jay, The ivy leagues(at least in New York) have always had pro-Palestinian faculty for some time now. This is not something new or shocking. You're just starting to see more of it as attendance in colleges/universities for first generation arab-americans have been on the rise.

All of the people I know that goes there got rejected by ivy leagues and their parents were willing to pay 60k a year lol.

Jay wrote:

NYU isn't Ivy, it's day care for rich kids who couldn't get into Ivies

What is columbia then? That schools turning into a joke.

Cybargs wrote:

All of the people I know that goes there got rejected by ivy leagues and their parents were willing to pay 60k a year lol.

Remember you wanted to go there? What happened? Couldn't get in, or couldn't afford?

KEN-JENNINGS wrote:

Jay wrote:

NYU isn't Ivy, it's day care for rich kids who couldn't get into Ivies

What is columbia then? That schools turning into a joke.

Cybargs wrote:

All of the people I know that goes there got rejected by ivy leagues and their parents were willing to pay 60k a year lol.

Remember you wanted to go there? What happened? Couldn't get in, or couldn't afford?

Both. But my uni aint too bad, ranks pretty pro too and at 10% the cost.

There are academics that have been pro-palestine for longer than you have been alive. Your narrow frame of reference isn't the reality of things.

KEN-JENNINGS wrote:

I seriously doubt your ability to form a coherent thought 15 years ago, but I should trust your insight on the zeitgeist of a 10 million person metropolis when you were 16? Not happening. You're essentially saying NY is full of contrarians because they are hipsters.

I'm saying most of the contrarians are hipsters.

Tibet was the fad cause before Palestine. I had forgotten all about it haha