The Movement to Crush Free Speech on Campuses and DeSantis' Bogus Brag He Sent Military Aid to Israel
Elon Musk's Racist Tweet Got Fact-Checked, Christians Blind to Racism, Richard Roundtree ("Shaft") Homage
What I’m Discussing Today:
Kareem’s Daily Quote: The aggressive movement to crush free speech is as dangerous to our democracy as Russia and China.
Elon Musk Gets Fact-Checked: Musk’s racism accusation backfires to reveal his own bias—and the dangers of social media.
DeSantis' Bogus Brag He Sent Military Aid to Israel: Right before meeting with Republican Jewish donors, he makes this claim, which Israel denies.
The Theory That Men Evolved to Hunt and Women Evolved to Gather Is Wrong: Why were we so quick to believe it? That’s the real revelation.
White Churchgoers Believe We See Racism Where There Isn’t Any: How do they arrive at this opinion in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary? Faith or willful ignorance?
Kareem’s Video Break: One of the most exhilarating sports moments I’ve ever seen. I’m still stunned.
Isaac Hayes Plays “Theme from Shaft”: An homage to Richard Roundtree, who died last week, and his ground-breaking portrayal of the “cat who won’t cop out.”
Kareem’s Daily Quote
To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker.
Frederick Douglass, “A Plea For Freedom of Speech in Boston” 1860
A hundred and sixty-three years ago, abolitionist, feminist, journalist, and super cool Black dude Frederick Douglass made a plea for free speech that echoes the same conversations we’re having today. What makes that so confusing and frustrating is that freedom of speech is one of the things Americans agree they are most proud of about their country. We’re always bragging about how precious free speech is to us.
And yet, polls paint a different picture. A New York Times Opinion / Siena College poll found that 84% of Americans say being afraid to exercise freedom of speech is a serious problem, with half saying they often don’t speak out for fear of retaliation. A Pew Research Center poll of 12,000 U.S. journalists found 57% are extremely or very concerned about possible restrictions on press freedoms.
Americans get teary-eyed and patriotic over the grand idea of free speech while at the same time often passionately advocating for suppressing someone else’s speech. This is not a quaint, whimsical contradiction—it is a sinister hypocrisy designed to make people feel good about themselves for proclaiming they are on the side of freedom while simultaneously undermining the foundation of democracy. We’ve seen this behavior from powerful and influential moguls like Elon Musk, who, while declaring himself a “free speech absolutist,” systematically suppressed the free press in this country and aided fascist governments abroad in restricting information and opinions that contradicted those governments. Last week, a mob of Republicans in Congress shouted down and heckled a reporter for asking a legitimate question. The question was never answered. It should be the only question any reporter asks until he answers it.
With the Israeli-Hamas war inflaming passions throughout the world, defending free speech is something a lot of people have abandoned because of the vitriolic attacks that occur in response. Death threats are common from both sides because people are immediately triggered by their biases and self-righteous responses. I am most perplexed by those who attack something I wrote—or rather, think I wrote because often I said the opposite of what they are attacking me for. But they have the right to get it wrong.
At the same time, I’m sympathetic to their anguish, even when they do get it wrong. [To be clear, I support Israel’s right to defend itself against the terrorism of Hamas, whose stated goal is the elimination of Israel. I also acknowledge that Israel’s treatment of Palestinians prior to the war was harsher than it should have been. Like the United Nations, I would like a cease-fire to stop the killing of innocent people on both sides in order to peacefully resolve the issue in a way that protects Israeli and Palestinian rights. This can only happen with intense international support and pressure. I’d prefer there be no more bodies of children as collateral damage for our anger.]
A quick explanation: The First Amendment protects us from government interference in free speech. However, social and cultural free speech is limited by certain laws to prevent defamation, speech that might put people in jeopardy, or hate speech. I fully support these restrictions. The first two are self-evident. The third exists to protect people from the kind of verbal assault that creates a hostile work or living environment.
I grew up hearing politicians proclaiming, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it!” (The quote is often wrongly attributed to Voltaire.) People still say it, but I don’t believe them. One of the reasons is the proliferation of rich people intent on punishing colleges and universities for allowing students to exercise free speech about the Israeli-Hamas war. Here are some examples:
Dick Wolf, the creator of Law & Order, has penned a letter urging University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill to resign, joining a number of wealthy donors who have pledged to halt their school funding over its decision to hold a Palestinian literature festival last month. (“‘Law & Order’ Creator Cuts Off UPenn Donations and Begs President to Step Down”)
In a Fox Business interview Wednesday, Leon Cooperman, a hedge fund billionaire who has given tens of millions to Columbia University over the years, pledged to cut his funding to the school over its response to the Israel-Hamas war. That same day, hundreds of Columbia affiliates had walked out in protest of the campus’ ties to Israel, the Columbia Spectator reported. (“Billionaire Cuts Columbia University Donations Over Israel War Response”)
As tensions have erupted at college campuses throughout the country after Hamas’s attack on Israel, former president Donald Trump and other Republican presidential candidates have called to revoke student visas and deport foreign nationals who express support for Palestinians or criticize Israel’s military response — moves that would amount to violations of their First Amendment rights, according to some legal experts. (“Republicans target visas of student protesters. That violates free speech, experts say.”)
A rising number of prominent US figures have faced discipline over controversial public comments they have made about the Palestinian cause, as attacks by Israel on Gaza after the 7 October massacre of Israelis by Hamas fighters intensified. David Velasco, the editor in chief of Artforum magazine, was reportedly fired after the magazine published an open letter in response to the war. (“Prominent US figures face backlash and firings for pro-Palestinian statements”)
I remember how rich donors tried to pressure schools in the sixties and seventies to expel students and fire teachers who protested the Vietnam War. I didn’t agree with that then, and I don’t agree with it now. And, yes, I may vehemently disagree with what the students are saying, but they have the right to say it. Even if it makes me angry. If they say something that is illegal—such as inciting a riot as on January 6th—then arrest them. Yet, some conservatives have even called for students engaging in anti-Israel protests to be blacklisted for future jobs. College is a place where students get to explore different ideas and points of view. Most will modify those opinions with time and experience. We don’t punish them for speaking out—even when we disagree.
There are real and dangerous consequences to protestors inflaming passions against Jews and Muslims. Antisemitic and anti-Muslim verbal and physical assaults have risen on campuses and off. Unfortunately, this can be a consequence of free speech. The civil rights movement also caused violence against Blacks and Whites. The same occurred during labor movements and women’s suffrage movements. The violence is reprehensible, and any speech that deliberately encourages it is not protected. For years, I have traveled the country speaking out against hate speech as well as antisemitism and Islamophobia. I will continue to do so for as long as I can.
I’m extremely proud to be an American for many reasons, one of which is that I am free to write about this controversial topic without government interference. But we older Americans need to wake up to some harsh truths about how younger Americans view this country. According to a Gallup poll, only 18% of those aged 18-34 say they are extremely proud to be an American. Compare that to 2013, when 85% of those aged 18-29 said they were extremely proud. Part of that decline in pride is seeing the dismantling of the rights we have taught them to be proud of: voting rights, the rights of women to control their own bodies, LGBTQ+ rights, and immigration rights. Add to that the attacks on election integrity, education, and free press, the banning of books—and the current uproar over campus free speech—and you can see what troubles our youth. And breaks their faith.