Students Conclude This Year’s Civil Discourse Series

John Samples, Vice President of the Cato Institute and member of Facebook’s Oversight Board, and Katy Glenn Bass, Inaugural Research Director at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, joined students for a virtual Q & A session. Samples and Glenn Bass answered questions posed by student moderators Latanielle Augustin ‘25 and Anna Bradley ‘22 regarding free speech and the role social media plays in it. Students brainstormed questions with their advisories prior to the event. When asked about their thoughts on free speech on campus, both speakers felt that students should hear different perspectives and be allowed to learn from their mistakes as they grow up. 

Students were curious to hear their thoughts on cancel culture. Glenn Bass talked about how it was not necessarily helpful to society that everyone fears saying something remotely controversial and losing their job. Samples added that an underlying concern is the possibility of getting to a place in society where some things are not heard. He continued to say, “The idea of free speech is that things have to be heard, even if they're very bad. There is a line drawn at violence, because when violence occurs there is no more protected speech.” In speaking about the recent Facebook Oversight Board’s decision, Samples encouraged students to not think about President Trump and what one feels about him, but rather to think about the larger issues his case presents. He encouraged students to not just think about now but also the future, as well as the risks and opportunities this decision presents. 

Perhaps Glenn Bass hit the nail on the head when she said, “We're only in the first part of what the digital age is going to mean to our society.” Samples went on to say, “Most things are a mix of good and bad, but we often forget the great things. For example, a lot of people can speak and communicate with others who they couldn't before.” Samples went on to say that from his observations and from what he hears from people at Facebook, most uses of free speech involve pictures of flowers, trees, pets, or animal rights. The speech that causes the most significant problems might seem like it occurs often, but it is quite small in proportion and, perhaps, easier to manage. 

Click here for photos from Freedom of Speech in the Digital Age: Student Webinar.