Jose Alberto Nino

Jun 8, 2023

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In recent years, college campuses have witnessed a shift from viewing silence as violence to considering speech itself as violent. This trend has resulted in the suppression of opposing views on topics like immigration, conservative causes, and pro-life issues. The case of Hunter College professor Shellyne Rodríguez, who verbally attacked and vandalized a pro-life student display, highlights the extent to which dissenting opinions are silenced.

Despite the controversial nature of Rodríguez’s actions, Hunter College refused to fire her, and the PSC Graduate Center supported her, claiming her actions were justified. It was only after she threatened a reporter with a machete that the college finally decided to terminate her employment. Rodríguez denounced her firing, accusing the college of capitulating to racists, white nationalists, and misogynists.

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The redefinition of opposing views as “violence” is not limited to college campuses but is also employed by groups like Antifa, who physically assault individuals with dissenting opinions on a regular basis and receive no judgment from the mainstream media whatsoever. Antifa members argue that free speech is a “bourgeois fantasy” and believe in the right to silence those they disagree with.

Faculty members have also joined in silencing opposing views. For example, former CUNY law dean Mary Lu Bilek argued that disrupting a speech on free speech was an exercise of free speech itself. Incidents of physical assault on pro-life advocates by professors, such as at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Fresno State University, have occurred, but the universities have failed to take appropriate action.

These actions and the support they receive from faculty and students contribute to a culture where violence is seen as justified in response to hate speech. A recent poll revealed that 41 percent of college students believe violence is justified to combat hate speech.

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