Academic freedom - is it hate speech or education?

There is no such thing as "hate-speech". The SCOTUS has ruled, several times including most recently unanimously, that the gov't cannot ban or punish for speech that is offensive. If we cannot/will not protect speech that we hate, then we cannot/will not protect any speech. 

Apparently this case involves employment at a private college, so that's a different matter. But if that college receives any FedGov funding, that may introduce a form of gov't-funded free-speech infringement/punishment simply because the speech was deemed offensive by one or some. (IOW, if any FedGov funding is accepted (Pell Grants?) at that college, then the slimy tentacles of FedGov funding should also bring with them all the same restrictions concomitant with being an indirect agent of the FedGov by accepting such funding.)   

Truly though, this smells like a set-up all the way around. Definitely a shot across the bow of both free speech and academic freedom. The offended student was given fair warning that an artistic image of her prophet would be shown for educational purposes directly related to the content of the course that she signed up for. IMO, the student had ample opportunity to protect herself from seeing what she deems as blasphemy and chose to remain to look at the image. 

Welcome to America - diversity is our strength, tolerance is our virtue, inclusion is our motto. Except for YOU [points at normie].  

I also find it hilariously hypocritical that, when covering this story, major news outlets only show examples of Islamic art with pixelated blurring over Muhammed's face. Where was such deference to specific religious tolerance when NYC art galleries featured "Pisss-Christ" or elephant-dung-covered Virgin Mary, or all the images of LGBTQRST#&% people parading in Catholic nun habits and Bishop vestments during Pride Week.  

Can you imagine anyone doing a p*** Mohammed?  No way.  Artists are so 'brave'.

There's several answers to your question. None of them will be admitted by half the country, but they are true (oh that pesky word again!)
1. Because followers of Christianity today won't chop blasphemers' heads off. Followers of Islam do and will again.  
2. Because Christianity is blamed (falsely) for all the atrocities, plagues, wars and injustices across 99% of human history. 
3. Because over half the country and most of the world thinks Christians deserve to be denigrated and blasphemed. 
4. (my personal favorite) Because Christianity is true and Islam is false. Satan hates the truth (damn there's that word again!) and is working in vain at all angles through all vehicles by any and all human and spiritual means at his disposal to bring Christianity, more specifically Catholicism, down. But I know how this story ends. 

My question was kind of rhetorical but you've provided some great insights. 



My family left communist lands to escape that persecution. 

Some were hunted like wild animals and had to hide in the wilderness when worshipping. 

Some were beaten, revived with water and beaten again.

Some were tortured, and a few were imprisoned for years.

My ex's grandfather was imprisoned for a decade and didn't see his own children grow up to be adults.

All because he refused to renounce his faith. 

My grandmother escaped on foot with children in her arms and my father's family came to Canada to escape communist oppression in 1962.

They chose Canada because they were able to express themselves freely and practice their faith without persecution. 

As someone who comes from a family of people who were persecuted specifically for their religious beliefs this discussion hits a lot closer to home than it will for most.

For the sake of tolerance, we cannot tolerate your intolerance. 
For the sake of inclusion, we must exclude people who think like you. 
For the sake of diversity, we must enforce uniformity of opinion. 
Your rights oppress their feelings. 
Freedom is slavery. 

Yep.

Our family lore is riddled with this stories of suffering. It wasn't a "one off", isolated incident. It was a way of life for the entire time they lived under communism. 

My reaction now to what's going on here in Canada or the US, is through that perspective. People I debate against attribute it to "politics". 

Duh. Most of the maroons opposed to the people fighting for "free speech" or "freedom of choice" these days have NO CLUE what they're talking about because they haven't experienced real oppression.  They've never actually lost their freedoms so they have nothing to compare it to. 

All they know is what they can Google.

People who have been raised in this sort of environment, where you can be imprisoned for what you believe don't see politics. They just see oppression or freedom.

Anybody who came from an oppressed or communist upbringing thinks that Liberals are taking away freedoms to feed government overreach because they've seen it all before and died to escape it. 

You hear a lot about in the US is the slavery of African Americans but never of other forms of slavery. 


The term "slave" comes from slang which used to mean "Slav" during Ottoman rule in Eastern Europe. Slavic people were the slaves during those times for about 400 years.

And after the Ottomans it was communist oppression of freedoms. 

Without exaggerating a bit, the loss of freedoms is imbedded in the history of Slavic people for literally centuries. We're talking 500+ years. 

It's not co-incidence that not a single person who was raised in communism thinks Liberals these days care about freedom. Slavic people think all they care about is control and power.

Trump won by the same percentage of the vote as there are Slavic people in the USA. I still maintain that people from behind the iron curtain sway the vote in a big way in every election. 

You keep stating this repeatedly about the Professor's intent and I don't understand why.