Commonwealth Policy Center

Our First Amendment freedom of speech–the right to speak on political, social, and religious issues without fear of reprisal–is a freedom that we sometimes take for granted, especially younger generations. According to a recent survey by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education “a majority of college students value “inclusivity over free speech.” They think that students should have their political views “censored if they are hurtful or offensive.” And they think that students should be “excluded from extracurricular activities if they publicly express intolerant, hurtful or offensive viewpoints.” These are astounding findings. The university is a supposed to be a place that could not exist without first Amendment freedoms. Yet, those students who enjoy freedom of speech are willing to sacrifice it on the premise of protecting the idea of inclusivity and diversity.