The Campus And The ‘Offendedness Sweepstakes’

The 20th anniversary of another book dedicated to free inquiry was an opportune time for Greg to write in The Huffington Post about how Jonathan Rauch’s Kindly Inquisitors was instrumental in Greg’s own book, Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate. Greg recounts how what Rauch dubs the “Offendedness Sweeptakes” is a game we all inevitably lose:

Of the many side effects of this retreat from free speech that Rauch predicted 20 years ago, one was that if we privilege feelings over free speech and allow claims of offense to slow or stop meaningful discussion, people will naturally abuse this ultimate trump card. In the end, the societal bar for what is “offensive” will simply get lower and lower. This “offendedness sweepstakes,” as Rauch has called it, does not take long to produce terrible or, often, absurd results.

Greg goes on to show and provide examples how the “right not to be offended” carries devastating consequences not only on campus, but also around the world. Read the whole article here.