Thursday, January 9, 1997
CONDUCT:
In public, free speech is the right to talk, not the right to
offendBy Marlon Morales
When your words and actions in a public place become blatantly
mean spirited and even hateful, your constitutional freedom of
speech ends. A higher law immediately supercedes to protect the
dignity of all humans. This law is the law of decency. All people
are expected to have learned decency, but some people remain
uneducated. Perhaps they where never taught proper manners at home
or maybe, and more likely, they blissfully set aside decency for a
few moments of cheap thrills.
On Wednesday, Dec. 4, an incident of homophobia took place at
the Griffin Commons dining hall. My friend and I sat enjoying
dinner. Like most people we were having a conversation. At a table
across and one away from us a group of six male students were
having their diner also. They were having a good time and their
noise level was increasing. It didn’t take long until I could hear
the nature of their conversation.
One of the six was the leader of the fun. He was being very
campy and suddenly got on his chair and shouted "I’m the king
faggot!" Clapping broke out from his group. Two others from an
adjacent table joined the group. Then it got very loud.
These guys were really into their friend’s show. The leader was
mimicking stereotypes of effeminate gay men for his spectators. He
did not point out that he was using stereotypes, rather, he
mentioned "this is how faggots act." He was using a lisp and using
over exaggerated feminine gestures. He did this very loudly and
visibly. He used "faggot" repeatedly. I could not sit and listen to
him tell his friends how "faggots" behave. The things he was saying
and doing were not being said about me directly, but as a gay man,
I was implicated.
He offended my dignity. He objectified me, made me an object of
his amusement while knowing nothing about me. I stood up and
confronted him with this point. I walked up to the table,
introduced myself, and asked if he was gay. He said he wasn’t. I
told him he was using words and gesture that were offensive because
he was mimicking others. He said, "Yeah, and?" I told him I was one
those faggots he was making fun of. I was expecting he would make a
human connection to someone gay and realize how he was being
stereotypical. He became haughty and again said, "Yeah, and?" I
told him his words and actions are hateful and he was subject to
disciplinary action from the university, which in my opinion should
be dismissal. He claimed having freedom of speech. He told me he
was having a private conversation with his friends and that if I
took offense it was my fault for "eavesdropping" on his
conversation. Loud, offensive speech is not tolerable by university
guidelines, however. In fact, the guidelines are clear when they
state that speech may not interfere with all students "reasonable
protection" against "practices which would make them involuntary
audiences." I told him I was not eavesdropping. In fact, he and his
group were so loud, and visible even to the point that he got up on
his chair to shout, that I and everyone else in the dining all had
no choice but to have our meal interrupted by his free speech. My
friend’s safe zone, my safe zone and everyone else’s safe zone had
been violated.
Still he did not wish to understand. He did not apologize. His
friend was brave enough to apologize for him and promised to keep
the noise down. I could not get a name and I did not pursue a name.
After a low chuckle at the table, they left.
Their ignorant public behavior caused public danger. Though the
consequences are not immediately felt, their behavior was of the
same gravity as instigating a riot or a panic in a public place.
How? Such behavior perpetuates stereotypes and vile language. It
sends a cultural message that it is fine to mock people you know
nothing at all about.
In this case the group targeted for mockery was this student’s
idea of gay men. It could well have been any group of people:
Latinos, African Americans, Asians, whites, women, people with
accents, people with disabilities etc. It is the same disregard and
disdain for any one who is different. The bottom line is that human
dignity was insulted. Such public displays of foolishness teach
negative values. We have too much to overcome together to be set
back by the spread of inappropriate behavior. Each person has an
obligation to stand up to any incident of ignorance in order to
cultivate a sense of decency in others.