Free Speech Zone

Free Speech Zone from Brian Crandall on Vimeo.

At Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids (Michigan), there are certain area designated as "Free Speech Zones." This always struck me as odd. Does that mean that everywhere else is a restricted speech zone? It figures that such a thing would exist at a University in Western Michigan, the bible belt of the midwest. The attitudes of the students are probably on average more conservative here than other Universities.

During the Fall semester of 2009, a religious fundamentalist group gathered in "The Free Speech Zone." They preached loudly many countercultural ideas. Some of their most offensive speeches were related to homosexuality. The preachers claimed that most students were guilty of homosexuality, premarital sex, contraception, alcoholism, etc and as a consequence were headed straight into hell.

What fascinated me about this event was not the way the fundamentalists acted. I had already seen that before. The way in which the student body reacted to them was the most interesting thing about that day.

Many of the students were already devout Christians who felt offended that these preachers were misrepresenting their religion and being judgmental of others. Others were offended by the homophobic viewpoints of the fundamentalists. Students shouted: "You are being ignorant etc." Ultimately, it is my opinion that the students who reacted and argued with these individuals were actually doing more to empower the group than to prove them wrong. The fact that they were willing to argue with these preachers acknowledged that they were contesting with people worthy of discussion--therefore legitimizing their viewpoints. Those students who thought they were doing good by confronting the preachers actually hurt their case and made me embarrassed to be a Grand Valley Student.

The reaction from the student body attests to the fact that not much goes on around here which is why I am so glad that I am graduating after this semester.