General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The Limits of Free Speech [View all]mountain grammy
(26,605 posts)and held in custody for their offense, I'd be the first one out there screaming free speech. They did not. They are students at a state university and members of a fraternity that exists at the pleasure of the university.
The boys were expelled and the frat house closed because the president of the university decided to take a stand against racist speech. He took a legal stand as a president of a university charged with the safety and peaceful learning environment of all students regardless of race, religion, etc. This frat house disrupted that mission. The president acted appropriately.
The boys have no criminal record. Their lives are disrupted, not ruined. Racism ruins lives. I am so encouraged by this university president who did the right thing here.
Frankly, I'm pretty shocked at how vigorously these boys are defended here. To me this is no different than the duck dynasty guy or Paula Dean. People can be as stupid and racist as they want, that's their freedom, but hate speech does not have to be tolerated in private or public venues. They deserve to be publicly shamed and shunned.