University of Chicago Says No to Safe Spaces

Hat tip Discover the Networks


Finally, a university has the gumption to stand up and say enough is enough with safe spaces, trigger warnings and micro-aggressions. The University of Chicago is advising its incoming freshmen that they do not observe safe spaces.

Needless to say, I applaud the University of Chicago for taking this move and hope that it will start a trend.

Does this mean that Jewish students will have to accept the presence of someone like Amir Abdel Malik Ali (with whom I have crossed swords often at UC Irvine) on their campuses? Absolutely. I have always respected Ali's right to speak and have told him so. Jews, supporters of Israel and people like me also enjoy the right to counter his hate speech, ask him critical questions and tell him he is full of beans-and hate. We have every right to condemn him and the student organizations that sponsor him. We have the right to say he is an anti-Semite (as I have to his face).

University administrators also have the right to condemn Ali and his hateful speech. (Few have. Most prefer to condemn conservative speakers like the ones I mention below.)

We also enjoy the right to bring our own speakers to campus, people like David Horowitz, Milo Yiannapoulos and Ben Shapiro to name a few. Like Ali, they have the right to speak without disruption. If students and faculty are offended by their words, they can go sit under a tree, take a deep breath, and pretend it is their safe space. Or they can be like me. Go to the event, listen to the speaker, and take your place in line at the mic for the q and a.

It's called the free exchange of ideas.