The recent vitriolic and extreme responses to the announcement of Ben Shapiro’s invitation to speak on campus show nothing but irrational fear to host opposing viewpoints on this campus.

We as a community have a tendency to declare actions unjust or wrong only when they disagree with our ideals.

However, as we delve into the recent history of speakers hosted at Syracuse University, what becomes apparent is a clear pattern of thought — an echo chamber, if you will.

SU College Republicans has not had a high-profile speaker since 2014. Nor has there been a well-known conservative voice invited to campus by our university.

Even when Hilary Clinton appeared on campus in 2015, there was a lack of hysteria and anger. Had a conservative politician been invited, the uproar likely would have been similar to what we are seeing now.

Moving to more recent speakers, actress Chelsea Handler spoke at SU two years ago, a decision that was not met with anywhere near the same magnitude of scorn or anger as the announcement of Shapiro’s invitation. This is ironic because Handler totes obnoxiously bigoted views toward conservatives and can be quoted as stating that the Republican Party doesn’t “care about women.” Handler furthers that the Republican Party, collectively, stands for sexual misconduct.

The list of outspoken liberal speakers does not end here. Previous and future speakers set to appear at SU carry the same viewpoints. Writer Jelani Cobb claimed “Republicans are more likely to describe blacks as lazy.” Black Lives Matter activist Janaya Khan resorted to “shut down” supporters of President Trump by creating a blockade at an entrance to his 2016 inauguration. The list continues, yet there has not been a campaign to condemn them for their views.

Looking toward the future, I cannot see any world in which the SU community will alter its speaker list to exclude those who are biased against conservatives. This fact disappoints me; however, I will not scream prejudice and fight to shut down these speakers. I will not call for a halt in funding to liberal speakers. The reasoning behind this is quite simple: I believe in free speech. I will defend your right to say hateful things about my peers and me, regardless of my personal feelings.

With that being said, I support Ben Shapiro coming to campus. In fact, I see a vital need for Shapiro to speak. Our community is starved of viewpoints that diverge from progressively liberal sentiment. We, as a community, are so scared of dissent that the very planning of a conservative speaker is met with opposition.

The response elicited by my peers is the proof that shows how much we need Shapiro to speak. If you detest his views, good. If you hate his rhetoric, good. I implore you to take that as a reason to purchase a ticket. Listen to Shapiro’s views in full. If you still disagree, feel free to question him during the Q&A segment. Don’t, however, uphold a false narrative to protect your political bubble.

The wild accusations that Shapiro is a “racist, homophobic, ableist and xenophobic” are as laughable as they are terrifying.

Shapiro has condemned racism and white supremacy and the alt-right countless times. In fact, he has “been fighting these white supremacist monsters for years.”

The movement to slander Shapiro as a hateful right-wing extremist is so unfounded that even The Economist issued an apology for its accusatory assertions stating “he has been strongly critical of the alt-right movement. We apologize.”

The idea that Shapiro “does not provide any valuable perspective” is misguided as well. This is a Harvard-educated man with a law degree. Shapiro has authored multiple bestselling books and built a media organization from the ground up. The value of a successful conservative figure speaking on a predominantly liberal campus is immense.

This value is not missed by other universities. This is why Shapiro is one of the most sought-after conservative speakers. He has addressed colleges across the country in spite of protesters, accusations and death threats. His talking points range widely and incite discussion and debate across campus.

Claims of Shapiro being a hateful bigot are used, regardless of their validity, to create a narrative that provokes fear and anger. The evidence used to force this narrative is often taken out of context. I invite those opposed to having Shapiro speak on campus to watch a past speech of his in full. Shapiro is far from the hateful demon he is painted to be.

In a time of such political polarization, I cannot fathom why we as an institution of higher learning should not attempt to break the divide — to show that speech, all speech, is valuable.

The action to block a conservative speaker horrifies me. If Shapiro is so vehemently hated across our community, what does that mean for students with similar views? Will our community be as quick and unforgiving to doll out hateful comments and condemnations to my peers or me?

Published on April 15, 2020 at 4:44 pm