10
A quiet talk with a security guard changed how I see these speaker fights
Last March I was outside the student union at Ohio State waiting for a friend when a campus security guard started chatting with me. He pointed at a group of protesters holding signs about an invited columnist and said, 'You know, I've worked here 9 years and seen these same people scream at both sides.' He told me his job isn't to agree or disagree, just to make sure everyone gets to say their piece safely, and that sometimes the loudest voices on either side forget that. That stuck with me because I used to think banning a speaker was purely about hate or harm, but he made me think about the quiet middle ground. He said most students never even attend these talks, they just post about them online, and that changed my view on how we judge the fallout. Has anyone else had a conversation with staff or security at these events that shifted their thinking?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
skyler_anderson6516d ago
My buddy works at a campus in Texas and had almost the exact same moment with a police officer during a big speaker event last fall. The cop told him, "My favorite part of this job is watching people think they're brave online and then hide when it's time to talk face to face." He said the officer pointed out how most of the loudest commenters weren't even in the crowd, just tweeting from their dorms. It made him stop assuming everyone at a protest is actually there for a real conversation.
4