Sure, I grumble. Don’t you? It’s a plain fact that
Bruins struggle with real and important issues, whether they be
personal or political ““ and everything in-between ““ and
we can feel very frustrated. But believe it or not, pleasant
surprises do come about. This past Tuesday, Michael Moore, the
award-winning author and filmmaker, addressed a big crowd of
students and faculty. And for this reason, I felt proud of my
school.
Unlike California State University, San Marcos or George Mason
University in Richmond, Virginia ““ both of which canceled
Moore’s scheduled appearances ““ UCLA defended
Moore’s time on campus. And most importantly, Bruins defended
the right to free speech.
Since Michael Moore launched his 60-city “Slacker Uprising
Tour,” he’s received (not surprisingly) great
resistance. Meant to target swing voters and younger crowds, Moore
hoped to inspire the disenfranchised to vote. But, since the
beginning of the tour, it’s been a fight.
For one, Moore lost his invitation to Cal State San Marcos
because “it is important that discussions be balanced,”
according university President Karen Haynes in an e-mail to
students and faculty. As it turned out, the Cal State San Marcos
student government strongly supported Moore’s invitation,
even offering to help subsidize his appearance. The students made
great efforts to counter-balance his speech, as well, inviting Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, though “we never heard back from
him,” said Roy Lee, a student government official. Still,
President Haynes canceled Moore’s appearance. Students were
forced to relocate him to the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
Most recently, George Mason University President Alan G. Merten
received a letter from a Republican state legislator. This letter
urged Merten to revoke Moore’s invitation rather than pay
$35,000 for his scheduled speech on Oct. 28. Merten did just that,
without informing Moore beforehand.
And now Iowa State University President Gregory Geoffroy reports
that alumni are threatening to cut financial support if Moore still
plans to speak.
These past two months, Moore has been challenged. He, along with
his beliefs, have been put to the test. But that’s not all.
Most importantly ““ and I do find this quite disturbing
““ Michael Moore has been censored. Whether caused by a Cal
State president or a Virginia state legislator, different people
have employed different tactics to keep him quiet. And that’s
un-American.
Our Constitution’s First Amendment protects free speech
““ and it’s our duty as Americans to uphold it for
Moore. “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom
of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to
assemble,” the Amendment reads.
These few words carry powerful implications. Most importantly,
they protect contentious, offensive or controversial speech,
including Moore’s. So while university officials may not
favor Moore’s personal politics, they must keep their
promises to their students. They should let him speak.
True, he is a controversial figure. His hit documentary film,
“Fahrenheit 9/11,” caused a critical and political stir
this past summer. And there’s also no denying that many
people dislike him or his views, and they certainly have the right
to feel this way. Nevertheless, Cal State San Marcos, George Mason
University and the donors at Iowa State University have simply gone
too far.
They’ve projected a detrimental message to their
university communities. By both neglecting and undermining
Moore’s free speech rights, a horrible precedent has been
set. Even worse, the administrators never tried to
“balance” Moore’s appearance with another
speaker. They just canceled on him entirely.
And that’s why I’m proud of UCLA today. Here, I
would like to think that free speech does matter and that student
opinion is highly valued. It is our goal to nurture intellectual
and academic curiosity. For these reasons, we exchange ideas. We
build upon them. And we challenge them.
Particularly in the case of large research universities,
we’re taught to account for a wide range of perspectives. So
when influential ““ even outspoken ““ figures like Rush
Limbaugh or Michael Moore come to town, we can hear them speak.
UCLA has defended free speech. And I have no reason to complain.
When Tuesday came around this week, I felt particularly excited.
The spirit of Moore’s appearance, in and of itself, had
seemed like an event.
When Moore did hit the stage and address the crowd, I felt
remarkably content. Then, an hour and a half later, as Moore bid
good byes to the audience, he told students one more time that we
must vote in the upcoming elections. It’s our democratic
right, he explained. It’s our duty. We must take it upon
ourselves to be responsible Americans ““ and we need to
express our opinions.
And on a warm California day, this was certainly a nice thing to
hear.
Fried is a second-year history student. E-mail her at
ifried@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to
viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.