I used to think shouting down a speaker was a valid protest. Then I saw it happen to a professor I respect at a talk about the 1st Amendment.

This was at my state school in Ohio about 3 months ago. The speaker was a law professor giving a pretty dry talk on historical campus speech cases. A group of students started chanting over him, calling him a fascist enabler. He just stood there, waited, and then said, 'I came to have a conversation. If you have a different view, I'd like to hear it. My time is yours.' They just kept shouting. It wasn't a debate; it was a wall of noise. I went in neutral, but I left feeling like they'd lost me completely. When did protest stop being about engaging with ideas you hate and just become about drowning them out? Has anyone seen a protest that actually changed minds lately, or is it all just performance now?

3 comments

3 Comments

hollywhite2mo ago

What made you see things differently? I had a similar moment when a speaker just listened instead of fighting back.

brianreed2mo ago

My old boss at the coffee shop would do this when customers got mad. He'd just listen, not argue back. It completely took the wind out of their sails every single time. I started seeing it everywhere after that, like it's the real power move. People who yell are often just waiting for a fight, and not giving it to them changes the whole game.

owens.anthony2mo ago

Used to think shutting down talks was a good move. Seeing that professor just stand there calmly changed my mind. Felt like the shouters were scared of the actual debate.