Not quite sure people involved with 60s free speech movement had this in mind...

... but then again, considering the oppressiveness into which modern liberalism has morphed from its live and let live days 40-50 years ago, maybe this is exactly what they had in mind.



Bad news for those of you out there that thought that perhaps college was a forum for freedom of expression and a place to exchange and debate different ideas and beliefs. The Department of Justice and Department of Energy have teamed up to issue broad and arbitrary speech codes that must be followed by any college or university that receives federal funding.


Reason.tv is approx. 3 minutes long:

"It is so broad that it turns every single student and every single faculty member on campus, at least arguably, into harassers," warns Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE).

He's talking about sweeping speech codes just imposed by the Departments of Justice and Education on virtually every college campus in the United States.

The new mandate was revealed in a letter from the DOJ and DOE to the University of Montana that states "sexual harassment should be more broadly defined as 'any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature," including "verbal conduct." The new rules apply to all colleges and universities receiving any sort of federal money, including Pell grants, federally backed student loans, and more. The letter contends the conduct in question need not be offensive to an "objectively reasonable person of the same gender in the same situation." That means that there is effectively no check on what might count as harassment. Course materials, overheard comments, stupid jokes - it's all potentially actionable.

You would be correct in assuming that this is what Jonah Goldberg was referring to in his book Liberal Fascism.


If sexually-themed speech is going to come under such broadly interpreted scrutiny, who's to say political speech won't be next? If we've learned anything at all this past week, it's that holding certain political views or voicing opposition to elements and characteristics of the government can get you bullied and harrassed by that same government.

Good to see any such incorrect speech will not be tolerated on our college campuses.