Right before the start of the fall semester, UW witnessed an “anti-fascist” or Antifa rally march on Simpson Plaza. Compared to similar demonstrations under the same namesake, the UW Antifa rally was very resigned and docile, only speaking against “fascism” and “white supremacy” and not inciting violence like their comrades do in other parts of the country.
Two weeks ago, the College Republicans at UW staged a fake petition that called for the removal of the Benjamin Franklin statue here on campus. Aiming to make a statement of how mainstream Leftists are now trying to tear down mainstream monuments, the petition used obviously hyperbolic and social justice language. The fictitious petition (described by some as a “fictition” and a “fauxtest”) was rightfully decried and scoffed at by many UW students, but a few deliberately signed in good faith with the intent to remove a relatively harmless and very mainstream Ben Franklin statue. This demonstrates the radicalization of mainstream Leftist language.
These cases are indicative of the lurking toxic social justice culture on our campus that can be paralleled to even worse instances on other higher academia campuses nationwide. Note that I am not necessarily suggesting that social justice culture as a whole is a menace, rather, where it has become toxic and contrary to liberty is where it becomes a menace. Social justice, in this form, suppresses and inhibits discussion, liberty and freedom of speech. For the record, hate speech IS protected by the First Amendment.
Toxic social justice culture is seen in neo-segregation of dorms and graduation ceremonies on other campuses. It is seen in the outright barring of speakers of conservative beliefs from speaking on other campuses. It is seen in groups like Antifa justifying violence against those they merely disagree with while watering down the definition of fascist.
We have it pretty good here at UW as far as openness and discussion go. With a few exceptions, students of a plethora of backgrounds and beliefs do intermingle and discuss together. Conservative and Republican students can organize and mobilize without fear of suppressing opposition that they oft times face on other, more radicalized campuses. Compared to militantly social justice-focused schools like Mizzou, Berkeley and Evergreen State College, we have a rather free campus. And we ought to keep it that way, avoiding the social justice errors they have made.
The university recently created the position of and hired a chief diversity officer. There is nothing wrong with this move in its most innocent motivation. That said, the university and, more importantly, we as students, need to be wary of this office and ensure that it acts in its honest intentions and not become akin to those similar offices at the campuses aforementioned. While I have good faith after hearing the chief diversity officer speak myself that the intent of the newly created office is good, let us simultaneously strive to keep UW a campus where diversity of opinion and ideology is forever respected just as well.
