Free Speech? Not on Campus

[RS Davis]

[glow=red,2,300]David E. Bernstein Wrote:[/glow] "Is it a no-no for students to satirize affirmative action at the University of California-Irvine? The answer is a resounding 'Yes!' Last week, the university administration shut down an 'affirmative action bake sale' run by the College Republicans. Members of the
group offered students donuts at prices ranging from ten cents to one dollar, depending on each student's race and gender. The obvious message: It's wrong to treat people differently based on immutable characteristics. But apparently you can't say that in public."

- Rick

[Kender]

;D

The response is even more telling than the actual bake sale.

This reminds me of a similar event the College Republicans held. First the background: there was a "Gay Coming Out Day" sponsored by the gay-bisexual group on campus (I forgot their name). To show support for gays coming out of the closet, they asked people to...wear jeans.

They knew, of course, that college students wore jeans anyway - it was almost a de-facto uniform. Their idea was that people had to make a conscious effort to not support gays "coming out". I personally felt it rendered their point meaningless (it would have been better if they handed out ribbons or something) and I felt manipulated. The next time it came around, I wore dress pants in defiance of that manipulation.

The College Republicans apparently felt the same way and came up with "Conservative Coming Out Day". To support conservatives "coming out", you were asked to wear...a watch.

Of course, in this case, there was no outcry...but the same spirit was there.