In what can best be described as a frantic overreaction last week at Emory University, students who saw “Trump 2016” written in sidewalk chalk responded as though they had been physically threatened, protesting the “hate speech,” and demanding the university president meet with them to take action.
While President Wagner promised to investigate security camera footage and punish those responsible for the messages, the issue became much more than just whether students support or opposing Donald Trump. It’s about overreactions from students and administrators, as well as the right to freedom of speech.
The Washington Post recently featured one student who disagreed with the majority. Amelia Sims, a senior who chairs the Emory College Republicans, cautioned that “…one should not underestimate the kind of precedent [Wagner’s] response sets.”
Sims continued:
Sims wrote that the university response appeared to be “damage control.”
And it’s not as though Sims herself is a Trump supporter:
However, classifying support for a major presidential candidate as “hate speech” endangers the democracy that we hold so dear.
Sims can understand protests and feelings, but not when they’re “dominated by trivial concerns and histrionic displays,” which leads to “Orwellian newspeak and thought control begin[ning] to take hold.”
And, as Sims wrote, such “mob mentality” is actually why candidates like Trump are doing so well.
