Can we talk about how they're calling flyers 'unsanctioned literature' now?

I saw it happen at my old community college in Springfield last month. A student put up flyers for a debate on campus internet filtering. They weren't rude or anything, just asking if blocking sites was a form of censorship. The administration took them all down in under an hour and sent an email calling them 'unsanctioned literature not approved for campus posting.' I know because my cousin still goes there and forwarded it to me. That's not about litter or rules, that's about controlling the conversation before it even starts. They didn't say the flyers were wrong, they just said they weren't 'sanctioned.' It's a sneaky way to shut things down without looking like the bad guy. Has anyone else seen this specific tactic used to stop people from talking?

3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

3 Comments

abby_shah697mo ago

They've always called it that...

6

pat_henderson517mo ago

Yeah, it's one of those names that just stuck, even if it doesn't make sense anymore. Like, the reason for calling it that is probably lost to time, but everyone just goes with it. You see it all over the place with old software or hardware nicknames.

6

oscarcraig6mo ago

Remember my buddy trying to put up posters for a study group last year. Campus security told him it was "unapproved material" and made him take every single one down. Same sneaky word game.

2