Profile picture
Robert P. George @McCormickProf
, 5 tweets, 1 min read Read on Twitter
1/ In response to my defense of the free speech and academic freedom rights of Marc Hill, some have pointed out that conservative scholars
2/ are frequently subjected to viewpoint discrimination and double standards in hiring, promotion, etc.. True! And we must fight against
3/ these wrongs with resolution and determination to win. There must be a single standard for all--irrespective of viewpoint. And we must
4/ hold colleges and universities to that standard. But the way for conservatives and others to fight the double standards is not by
5/ countenancing the violation of free speech & academic freedom rights of those on the left. We must uphold & fight for the rights of all.
Missing some Tweet in this thread?
You can try to force a refresh.

Like this thread? Get email updates or save it to PDF!

Subscribe to Robert P. George
Profile picture

Get real-time email alerts when new unrolls are available from this author!

This content may be removed anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime, convert it as a PDF, save and print for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video

1) Follow Thread Reader App on Twitter so you can easily mention us!

2) Go to a Twitter thread (series of Tweets by the same owner) and mention us with a keyword "unroll" @threadreaderapp unroll

You can practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @McCormickProf see all

Profile picture
1/ I have a proposal for all people who understand the vital importance of freedom of thought and expression to truth-seeking and democracy.
2/ Find an opportunity--today--to speak up for the rights of someone you deeply disagree with about something that really matters to you.
3/ Take a stand against prohibiting people from saying what they believe to be true or compelling them to say what they believe to be false.
Read 3 tweets
Profile picture
1/ Friends of civil liberty-right and left-need to stand up to the speech police-right or left-who would forbid people saying what they believe or compel their saying what they don't believe. "Teacher refused to sign pro-Israel oath, so she lost her job": interc.pt/2BqhEpu
2/ People are commenting that speech policing happens on the left too. Yes! Of course it does. I noted that in my tweet. There are people
3/ on both sides who do it & rationalize their support for it. They condemn people on the other side for doing it while doing it themselves.
Read 5 tweets
Profile picture
1/ The 1st Amendment protects free speech for everyone. It protects the President's critics. It protects the President himself. It protects his defenders. All should exercise their free speech right responsibly, but it is protected even when they exercise it irresponsibly.
2/ Whether we're talking about college campuses or the broader society, the way to deal with speech we disapprove of, or regard as biased or unfair or otherwise irresponsible, it to criticize it--exercising our own free speech rights. We should not try to silence the other guy.
3/ The right to freedom of speech was hard won and could easily be lost. Its importance to truth-seeking and democracy is underappreciated. We take it too much for granted. It must be defended, whether assaults on it come from the left or the right, from academics or politicians.
Read 4 tweets

Related threads

Profile picture
What Has The EU Ever Done For US?

You hear politicians say

How about the

"EU Charter of Fundamental Rights"
EU Charter of Fundamental Rights

Preamble
Article 1 - Human dignity

Human dignity is inviolable. It must be respected and protected.
Read 38 tweets
Profile picture
Fascinating & very contentious exchange about intellectual freedom and academic discourse between (a) trans Berekley professor @graceelavery & (b) two Penn State Queer Theory professors, one of whom she accused of being fascist & transphobic. The former's: blog.lareviewofbooks.org/essays/convers…
In reply, the 2 Queer Theory professors (long-time LGBT activists) accused of being right-wing transphobic fascists argued that campus culture is being shaped, & academic freedom crushed, by prolonged adolescence, which Lancet found now extends to age 24 blog.lareviewofbooks.org/essays/convers…
It's a really worthwhile exchange - both articles are very well-written & blunt - because it highlights the key tensions and conflicts about how we conduct intellectual and political discourse not only on academic campuses but in political media, newsrooms, and in culture.
Read 4 tweets
Profile picture
A little rant about this: pinknews.co.uk/2018/11/23/twi…
Threatening twitter-bans (or lawsuits or whatever) for "misgendering" is a giant exercise in begging the question. In order to make the argument that "misgendering" is wrong, you would first have to prove that people have a gender.
But how can you prove such a thing? Gender, we are frequently told, is not rooted in biology. It's not rooted in anatomy or chromosomes. It can't be viewed under a microscope. It is an immaterial, inner feeling.
Read 13 tweets
Profile picture
I enjoyed talking to these great @usc undergrads & profs about free speech & academic freedom, for which I’m a fierce advocate: Black & other socially marginalized dissidents wind up bearing the brunt of crackdowns on transgressive utterances by status quo defenders & apologists.
Understandably, many find the N-word I deploy in my scholarship offensive & dehumanizing—a form of “hate speech.” For them, the word’s deeply racist roots make any & all current-day uses of it tainted fruit of the poisonous tree. The NAACP formally buried it in Detroit in 2006!
I’ve had some of these N-word abolitionists picket my speaking engagements b/c they found my use of the blood-soaked epithet in print & in speeches offensive and dehumanizing: a form of “hate speech.” For them, the word’s indelibly hateful meaning made me a purveyor of hate.
Read 10 tweets
Profile picture
A Defense of the Heckler's Veto: In Which I Try to Tie Together a Bunch of Recent But Now Seemingly Impossibly Distant Culture War Controversies
The Heckler's Veto. A bad thing, right? Maybe not. In the spirit of this call by @JedediahSPurdy to reorient free speech toward social democratic ends (and mindful of how titanically dumb that NYTimes piece was last week), here's my defense./1

In the context of the college campus, free speech skeptics tend to make two arguments: (1) Folks like Milo or a racist student aren't adding anything valuable to the conversation, so no-platforming or censoring them inflicts minimal cost./2
Read 21 tweets
Profile picture
An interesting thread by @Noahpinion Noah Smith starts below, arguing, in short, that speech and academic freedom is not a threat on most campuses. I start a new one here on why I think he is wrong.
1. He starts with a claim to authority, that he has spent 12 years, most of my adult life on college campuses. He says he has never ONCE encountered the intolerant left (as often described elsewhere).
1a. This is also an appeal to experience. Of course I will not address his personal experiences. Mine are quite different. I have, intermittently, been hounded by this type of intolerance. You can start with the first of three three blogs here: ow.ly/5F3Q30gOXkd
Read 33 tweets

Trending hashtags

#Fight4Her #insecurity #Equality #Liberty #GMS #kindle #FightForFreedom #慈 #IIBAWC18 #hospitality #reading #dc #MNGOP #D #free #MAGA #vivajacky #TongueDung #america #mypresident #SOTU #道 #MarchForOurLives #VOTEREPUBLICAN #Pakistan

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just three indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member and get exclusive features!

Premium member ($30.00/year)

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!