New Threats to Freedom Scholarship: Response to Greg Lukianoff's "campus censorship"

The United States of America is considered to be one of the most prosperous, successful, and respected countries in the world. The country is held to such high standards because America is built off of a right that very few other countries in the world have: the freedom of speech. If universites across the country begin censoring students' ideas and thoughts then they are disregarding our Founding Father's vision of a free country and polluting the minds of our youth with false beliefs that one is limited to what he or she is allowed to say. While controversial, the freedom of speech is a right that numerous Americans already take for granted. We do not realize how truly fortunate we are to be able to freely discuss politics and other important subjects. If we begin to restrict student's minds in college, then what are we standing for? We are essentially corrupting our society and ordering our youth to ignore the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, telling them something that would disgust and embarass the founders of our country:that we do not care about their opinions. The fact that 71% of universities surveyed by Greg Lukianoff and his staff employ codes that directly violate the First Amendment is depressing in itself. Admitting that these colleges actually enforce these rules only deepens the wound made on society. By not allowing the youth to freely speak about topics of their choosing, we are restricting their minds to only their personal beliefs. We are not allowing them to grow, to learn new aspects and beliefs about issues, and become more knowledgeable overall. There are countless beliefs and ideas in every home in America, as people of different political ideologies, ethnicities, religions, and backgrounds are sprawled across our melting pot of a country. Disallowing these ideas to be heard and vocalized cripples the minds of our youth, as they will live the rest of their lives in respect only to the viewpoints they were surrounded by growing up. If we continue to say "no" to the ideas of our youth, the country will eventually be run by bigots and dictators who refuse to even remotely consider others morals and beliefs, instead creating a society favoring those who share their same ideals only, harming the economy of the country exponentially in the process. Campus censorship is very personal and important to me because I will be living on a college campus next year and desire to speak my mind no matter where I am. If I am denied this right, it will make me reconsider everything that America as a nation stands for. For all of the controversy surrounding the freedom of speech, political figures and the nation's leaders need to realize that, among all of the negative and outlandish ideas and virtues in America, there are those that could be instrumental in bettering our society for years to come if given the opportunity to be heard.