Derek Bok Protecting Freedom Of Expression On Campus

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Protecting Freedom of Expression on the Campus In the world today, Freedom of Speech is taken to a different level than what one may imply verbally. With social media, political debates, and the outpour of sexual orientation the First Amendment is exercised in its full capacity. Protecting Freedom of Expression on the campus is an article written by Derek Bok expressing his concerns regarding the display of a confederate flag hung from a window on the campus of Harvard University. The Confederate flag to some is a symbol of slavery and to others it is a symbol of war, or perhaps known as the “Battle Flag”. In this paper one will review Bok’s opinion of the First Amendment, clarity of free speech in private versus public institutions and the actions behind the importance of ignoring or prohibiting such communications according to the First Amendment. …show more content…

He appeals to the concerns of the audience by addressing the First Amendment mentioning the fact that “Speech protected under the First Amendment does not necessarily mean that it is right, proper, or civil (4).” The opinion of Bok conveys the difference between what is displayed as insensitive of ones beliefs and causes others to be uncomfortable in their environment of higher learning. He argues that the students who displayed the Confederate flag had to have known that their actions would be upsetting and offensive to some students. As a result feelings are involved and could very well affect the community of which the students reside. By pointing this out Bok hopes to persuade universities to come up with a better way to exercise the First Amendment and avoid racial tension amongst the student

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