My Poli Sci prof was right that inviting Charles Murray would backfire

I argued for two semesters that any speaker should be allowed on campus, but after watching the protest response and the town hall devolve into shouting matches, someone finally told me 'ideas don't work if nobody can hear them over the noise' and I realized he was right about creating a forum that actually allows for dialogue instead of spectacle has anyone else had a speaker invitation that seemed like a good idea on paper but turned into a disaster?

3 comments

3 Comments

hannaho522mo ago

Would the protesters have let anyone with a controversial view speak, or just Murray?

rowan_butler932mo ago

Oh man, it's tricky! In my experience letting people speak often backfires no matter what.

the_max16d ago

That part about "ideas don't work if nobody can hear them over the noise" really stuck with me too, because isn't that exactly what happened with Murray? The guy has some awful takes, but if the goal was to shut him down so nobody could even engage with his arguments, didn't the protest just make him more of a martyr? @hannaho52 asked if protesters would let anyone with a controversial view speak, and I wonder the same thing: is there any line where you'd say "okay, this person isn't worth the chaos," or do you just let every speaker face the mob?