“No niggers, no fags, no hippies.” To some these words are shocking, to some they are sadly unsurprising, and to all reasonable people they are offensive. While going about life on a campus that is relatively racially homogeneous, yet generally accepting, it is sometimes difficult to imagine that such backward attitudes still exist in the world. But they do, and they often hide among us. Although racism has become socially unacceptable in recent decades, prejudices of all types still run strong and we won’t get rid of them by pretending we can’t see them.
The student body has shown an encouraging response to the actions of the students involved, rising up to denounce these hateful ideas and reminding the community that Cal Poly will not stand for such vitriol. However, the passion of those eager to correct a wrong often leads them, even with good intentions, astray from the judicious path. Many students are incensed at the administration’s (lack of) response to the situation, and have shown up in numbers to protest the decision.
But the administration did exactly what they should have. As vile as the statements are, they are still protected by the offending students’ First Amendment rights. As former Secretary of State Colin Powell put it, “Free speech is intended to protect the controversial and even outrageous word; and not just comforting platitudes too mundane to need protection.”
Freedom of speech is the most vital tenet of our democracy. It is the means by which ideas circulate and opinions are swayed. But this freedom is most important in times when it is reviled. People’s ideas, no matter how backward or offensive, are their own property and cannot be regulated by any government or institution. A majority has no right to suppress a minority opinion under any circumstances. The founding fathers understood this and built protections into our constitution against what they referred to as the “tyranny of the majority.” As long as someone is not infringing upon your rights, they are (and should be) free to express any idea they choose. If the party was sponsored by an Associated Students, Inc. club or fraternity, Cal Poly would be right to revoke their charter, but as an independent group of students, their rights remain … especially on a college campus, where free exchange of thought is paramount.
Like it or not, there is absolutely no constitutional right for citizens to be protected from speech they don’t want to hear. This is something that far too few people in this country understand, and it also brings up a larger issue. There has been a disturbing trend, fueled both by politicians and by media sources, in that people are inclined to support or vote for a policy that affects other people’s rights because of their personal beliefs. Your beliefs are your own and nobody can take them from you, but you have absolutely no right to enforce them upon other people.
If you have moral objections to gay marriage, for instance, it may feel right to vote for a state proposition banning it. But think further down the line-no matter who you are, you share an opinion with the minority in some issues. Do you want other people voting on your beliefs? Who gets to decide? Should other people have say in your marriage, or the way you raise your kids, or whether you can smoke cigarettes or eat trans fats or listen to music with profanity? Do you really want the government teaching your future kids about morals?
The only sensible course of action in a democracy is to let people retain the freedom to choose for themselves. The freedom that allows you to be a bigot is the same freedom that allows you to criticize the government, to teach your children what you think will help them succeed in life, and ultimately to vote on policies or candidates that affect everyone.
My advice to all who read this is to take a step back and look at your beliefs. On Tuesday, try voting with your head instead of your heart. Don’t vote for McCain because he’s a veteran or Obama because he’s black or Proposition 8 because of the Bible; vote based on the issues, the facts, the Constitution, and what will truly be best for our country. Renounce the hateful actions of those who dishonor our campus with their intolerance, but don’t try to strip them of their constitutional right to do so. Above all, fight to preserve the liberty this country was founded upon, whether you agree with how it’s being used.
Andy Scott is a mechanical engineering senior and a Mustang Daily guest columnist.
EDITORS’ NOTE: There is some dispute about the phrase “No niggers, no fags, no hippies” referenced in various opinions submissions. Although word has spread around campus and local media implied that this phrase was publicly displayed, further conversations with the crop science students show that this may not have been the case. The Mustang Daily does not condone this language, but has republished it for clarification purposes.