Depending on where you fall on the political spectrum, you may place more importance on some amendments than others. The Second Amendment, the right to bear arms, has held a prominent position in political discourse. Conservative thinkers tend to want to expand gun ownership, while those who are liberal want to limit gun ownership. Recently, those stances have been mirrored in regards to the First Amendment.
Free speech is one of the bedrocks of this country, but recently that foundation has been under threat — not in the courts, but within the minds and communities of the people themselves. Numerous stories have recently emerged of conservative speakers being barred or dissuaded from speaking at campuses across the nation due to pushback from the student body. Social media has led to the deepening fracture of society as users have unprecedented access to voices and opinions that resonate with their own. Features of the Facebook algorithm, like showing content similar to what users previously liked, create an unfortunate side effect that pushes like-minded content front and center while different viewpoints fade away. Political opinions are entrenched, and different realities are constructed based on your clicks.
Over time you begin to see more of the people who liked your posts on your Facebook feed. Their posts and opinions tend to align with your own, and you continue to interact with the articles that they share. Suddenly, different opinions appear to be stark and outlandish. Every other post that you see aligns with your point of view, how could your friend be so wrong? You shut out the opinion because, clearly, they don’t see the world the way that you do.
But they aren’t wrong. Neither of your opinions is wrong. That’s just what they are: opinions. People should not be demonized for believing something that you don’t. Even if someone's opinion opposes your personal values or morals, that does not mean they shouldn’t be allowed to express it. Free speech means all speech, and as long as speech is all that occurs, it needs to be heard.
Shutting out words you don’t agree with won’t make them go away; it will only make them louder. Universities should be places where ideas can be exchanged freely. The most conservative speakers should be able to speak to the most liberal colleges and vice versa. In some ways, that is the place where it most needs to be heard. Yes, we are becoming too politically correct. Yes, there is a debate that can be had about what should or should not be said. But that doesn’t mean you should shut out speech you don’t agree with.