My Effing First Amendment

I found it interesting that the conservative speakers in the podcast described the conflicts between liberals and conservatives as being a cultural war which threatened the existence of America. It’s ironic because it seems as though they themselves are contributing to this division by creating an us vs. them mentality through their generalization of the other side into one all-encompassing group called “the left” which must be opposed. This same analysis applies to both sides of the political spectrum: each side generalizes the other to the extreme in which conservatives often label liberals as SJWs and socialists while liberals label conservatives as racists and fascists. The irony is that both sides are guilty of the very things they vilify the other for doing, yet they both try to claim the moral high ground.  I also found it fascinating that there exists a panel called “Sue Your School 101” which exists for the sole purpose of filing lawsuits against universities which block controversial speakers. I am curious to know as to whether these lawsuits are usually successful or not, and how universities would defend what seems to be a clear violation of the First Amendment by not letting speakers express their opinions(unless these speakers are explicitly inciting violence and hate). It’s also quite ironic how Turning Point USA trains students to use camera recordings as a form of weapon against liberals, similar to the way in which BLM protestors take footage of police brutality in order to strengthen their movements. In both cases, each side is attempting to expose the other’s immorality rather than focusing on improving their own messages, which is something I disagree with(again, coming back to the idea that extreme hypocrisy exists amongst both sides). I also disagree with the claim by the campus administrator in which he argues that although free speech exists, one is not allowed to pass out propaganda. The college girl is simply trying to promote her club, yet the administrator automatically assumes she is spreading conservative “propaganda,” a label that commonly associates conservative beliefs with extreme right-wing ideologies such as fascism and neo-nazism.  In terms of the removal of professor Courtney from the classroom, I agree with the decision despite arguments made that she was simply expressing her right to the first amendment. A double standard does exist in which students are able to express their political opinions more openly than teachers; however, the context must be considered in which the teacher must demonstrate professionalism in his/her workplace, just like anyone else working in a professional field and interacting with others. In the circumstances in which the confrontation occurred, it clearly seems as though a teacher unfairly harassed a student by swearing at and insulting her, thus violating the code of conduct for professors who have the responsibility to act professionally towards their students at all times. Whether or not some form of “baiting” occur ed is irrelevant: the professor should have known better than to verbally harass a student on campus no matter what the student was doing, which in this case seemed to clearly be non-threatening and innocent. The statement she made that her comments were justified because the girl was not her student is completely ridiculous and hypocritical--professors have the responsibility to treat all students on campus equally.