Comedian Adam Corolla Testifies Before Congress on College "Safe Spaces" with Ben Shapiro
- 5 years ago
Comedian Adam Carolla and the Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro appeared before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to discuss and “identify the harms of infringing on the right to free speech on college campuses” and give “recommendations on how to encourage and protect First Amendment rights.” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who chaired the hearing, began by showing a video of recent campus riots and protests led by leftist students and activist groups. The intent of each incident was to shut down free speech either through shouting down ideological opponents or threatening physical danger.
“This is where it all ends. You start with safe spaces … and it ends with students holding hostage the president of a university. That’s why we’re having this hearing,” Jordan said, noting the incident at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, when social justice activist students issued specific demands of President George Bridges.
Shapiro, being a regular speaker on college campuses, testified to the fact that he had personally witnessed intimidation and violence in the name of silencing free speech on campuses around the U.S. Shapiro noted that, for many of the social justice obsessed, expression of differing opinion is considered actual violence and that physical violence is often justified by those offended by opposing opinions.
“In order to understand what’s been going on at some of our college campuses, it’s necessary to explore the ideology that provides the impetus for a lot of the protesters who violently obstruct events, pull fire alarms, assault professors, and even other students, and the impetus for administrators who all too often humor these protesters,” Shapiro said.
“The first step is that they say that the validity or invalidity of an argument can be judged solely by the ethnic, sexual, racial or cultural identity of the person making the argument,” Shapiro continued.
He said that the second step is to suggest that “those who claim otherwise are engaging in what they call verbal violence,” and the last step is to “conclude that physical violence is sometimes justified in order to stop such verbal violence.”
Shapiro concluded that the value of an argument no longer relies on its merit, but how victimized the person making the argument can claim they are.
Carolla also testified, recalling the days when he would tour college campuses and opposing ideas were welcome. Carolla said recently he attempted a tour with conservative radio show host Dennis Prager and college administrators refused to allow their speeches on campus.
The comedian suggested that today’s strategy of putting students into a safe bubble and believing this bubble will make them stronger is not having the desired effect.
“We need the adults to start being the adults. Our plan is to put them in a bubble, keep them away from everything, and somehow they’ll come out stronger when they emerge from the bubble. Well that’s not happening,” Carolla said.
“This is where it all ends. You start with safe spaces … and it ends with students holding hostage the president of a university. That’s why we’re having this hearing,” Jordan said, noting the incident at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, when social justice activist students issued specific demands of President George Bridges.
Shapiro, being a regular speaker on college campuses, testified to the fact that he had personally witnessed intimidation and violence in the name of silencing free speech on campuses around the U.S. Shapiro noted that, for many of the social justice obsessed, expression of differing opinion is considered actual violence and that physical violence is often justified by those offended by opposing opinions.
“In order to understand what’s been going on at some of our college campuses, it’s necessary to explore the ideology that provides the impetus for a lot of the protesters who violently obstruct events, pull fire alarms, assault professors, and even other students, and the impetus for administrators who all too often humor these protesters,” Shapiro said.
“The first step is that they say that the validity or invalidity of an argument can be judged solely by the ethnic, sexual, racial or cultural identity of the person making the argument,” Shapiro continued.
He said that the second step is to suggest that “those who claim otherwise are engaging in what they call verbal violence,” and the last step is to “conclude that physical violence is sometimes justified in order to stop such verbal violence.”
Shapiro concluded that the value of an argument no longer relies on its merit, but how victimized the person making the argument can claim they are.
Carolla also testified, recalling the days when he would tour college campuses and opposing ideas were welcome. Carolla said recently he attempted a tour with conservative radio show host Dennis Prager and college administrators refused to allow their speeches on campus.
The comedian suggested that today’s strategy of putting students into a safe bubble and believing this bubble will make them stronger is not having the desired effect.
“We need the adults to start being the adults. Our plan is to put them in a bubble, keep them away from everything, and somehow they’ll come out stronger when they emerge from the bubble. Well that’s not happening,” Carolla said.