Challkin' It Up: Freedom of Speech on Campus

Chalk may wash away with a little water, but messages written in this temporary substance have a tendency to linger around a bit longer. Earlier this week students at Emory University in Atlanta awoke to a campus covered in chalk graffiti promoting the presidential candidate Donald J. Trump. This expressive action seemed to create a major stir on the campus among supports and non supports alike; this spark seemed to stem from one issue, freedom of speech.

Examples of Pro-Trump graffiti on Emory's campus.

When some students decided to take to the streets and protest in response to the plaster of a Pro-Trump message about the southern campus, they received some pretty underserved backlash. Besides social media outlets such as twitter, the protestors were also called out by some well known news organizations (cough Fox News cough). These responses to the protestors called them out for being just another bunch of college kids crying about how everyone needs to keep it PC (that's politically correct if you're not familiar with the lingo). Here's where these protest haters messed up though: the protestors weren't protesting the Trump chalk drawings all over this southern campus, they were displaying their disapproval of the message behind the candidate promoted. They in no way were using their freedom of speech to attempt to stomp out those with disagreeing views First Amendment rights. Instead the protestors were out there with the goal to unite people in opposition to what the Trump campaign stands for. Pretty much, they were using their freedom of speech to do exactly what it was intended to, disagree with others.

This campaign season has been one of major confrontations and clashes between members of different political parties, along with disagreements between members of the same party who simply support different candidates. It's important for citizens in this country to always respect others political views, even if they don't align with their own. Our O.G. President G. Washington once said that political parties would "likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.” Don't let political labels and different views divide this great country, don't let George down.