[361] in Discussion of MIT-community interests
Re: urgent [was: re: Nu Delta]
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Alex Coventry)
Mon Apr 30 21:56:54 2001
To: Aimee L Smith <alsmith@MIT.EDU>
Cc: "Jimmy_B,MajMoola,MechWarrior,etc._Chien-ta Wu" <jimmbswu@MIT.EDU>,
mit-talk@MIT.EDU
From: Alex Coventry <alex_c@MIT.EDU>
Date: 30 Apr 2001 21:56:11 -0400
In-Reply-To: Aimee L Smith's message of "Mon, 30 Apr 2001 18:08:07 -0400"
Message-ID: <etdr8y9essk.fsf@w20-575-20.mit.edu>
> QUESTION: was it free speech for the hecklers at ATO to yell racist
> and sexist remarks to members of The Roots?
>
> If so, why are you "defenders of the status quo" not backing their
> right to free speech, those poor young men who have been sanctioned
> for their free speech?
While MIT has expressed embarrassment at the students' outburst, and
intends to provide "sensitivity training" for them, I don't recall
hearing anything that suggests they will be punished for the remarks
they made. I've heard they risk sanctions for the alcohol violations
that were discovered by the police who quelled the dispute, but not for
what they said.
We have had a fairly stupid right-wing group running Australia since
shortly after I left, and they have probably changed things, but when I
was living there, there's a good chance whatever remarks those kids made
would have been actionable under the Australian Racial Villification
Laws. Would you like to see a similar law forbidding the public display
of lewd posters like the "Get Nu'd" party invitation? Should women be
forbidden to wear such an outfit in public as well? What do you object
to about the poster, exactly, anyway? Did you object to the similarly
lewd Fierce Forever poster?
Alex.
