FREE SPEECH AND POLITENESS

March 21, 2010

FREE SPEECH AND POLITENESS

Today's Vancouver Sun devoted 20 column inches to an opinion piece:
"Ann Coulter and free speech? Hardly"
By Ozlem Sensoy, of SFU
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Coulter+free+speech+Hardly/2724188/story.html
This is 20 column inches of opinion, said to be on the topic of free speech.

I have previously blogged my views on free speech. "Free speech and incitement to hate"
Friday, April 10, 2009
http://dlmblogmissn.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html

When someone identifies themselves with a university affiliation I like to think they have a justifiable pride in their subject expertise. In my view I should not identify myself as a university professor in writings outside my field of expertise. Sensoy is with the Faculty of Education at SFU. I accept that he has a reasonable level of expertise on students and their behavior and perhaps even on free speech. Interesting that in the hard copy his university affiliation appears but it does not appear in the on line.

To say that I was merely disappointed at the lack of comprehensible substance in the Sensoy article is to stretch my politeness to the limit.

Here I wish to avoid the subject of free speech and focus simply on politeness.
I feel I learned some things even before kindergarten and one of them was politeness, and in particular politeness in the presence of guests.

I would like to think that University students have acquired some of that as they climb the educational ladder to university admission. Not that it is a requirement, more an expectation.
Some university students at the U of Ottawa seem to have missed out on it and I fear even some faculty members have also.

When a guest has been invited to give a talk or lecture at a University I believe they should be treated politely.

If you don't like their views, don't go.

If you go, don't heckle. If Q & A is invited, participate politely. Consider going even if you have strong opposing preconceptions, it is a test of why you are attending university.

If you have alternative views, there are many available options:

Sponsor a debate with opposing views, [and expect no heckling and set the rules such as Q&A after all it is your dime and you are entitled to set the rules for your meeting.]

Sponsor a lecture on the opposing view [and expect politeness from those with opposite views]

Write letters to editor [ and expect responses]

Participate in forums such as this [ and expect responses]

Start a blog or participate in comments

Start/participate in a facebook page.

Whatever you do, do not mindlessly impede others from listening to what they want to listen to and are, out of politeness, entitled to.

It would be a bonus if someone from the Education Faculty would enlighten us as to what is now considered the norm that is to be expected from students in an educational institution.

PS. Politeness dictates I copy this to Ozlem Sensoy, he did not give his e-mail so that is not possible.

One last ironic twist. The illustration here comes from a book:
BE POLITE AND KIND
by Cheri J. Meiners, M.Ed. [emphasis added]

When children are kind, courteous, and
respectful, people enjoy being around them and reciprocate with the same behavior. This book helps kids understand the importance of showing politeness, speaking kindly, using basic courtesies
(“please,” “thank you,” “excuse me”), and respecting the feelings of others. Scenarios and role-play activities help adults reinforce the book’s lessons. 40 pp., color illust., S/C, 9" x 9". Ages 4–8.