Should the conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos be allowed to speak on college campuses? | The Tylt
As part of his ongoing college tour, conservative journalist Milo Yiannopoulos is going to speak at UC Santa Barbara on May 26.
Milo is a lightning rod of controversy. He has described feminism as "cancer" and has said transgender people need psychiatric help, not surgery.
Milo champions a conservative viewpoint often left out of college campus discussions, but he does so in an abrasive and often offensive manner. The title of his tour, for example, is "Dangerous Faggot," in reference to himself. On Twitter he is self-described as "The most fabulous supervillain on the internet." Milo is the first to point out some of what he says is tongue and cheek, but the full frontal attack on sensitives and microaggressions still leaves many disgusted by his talks.
Student protests take place at every college campus he speaks. Many of the protests want to disrupt his talk or even ban him from campus. This has sparked debate and conversation around freedom of speech on campuses and where a line, if any, should be drawn.
Students say that conservatives like Milo are pushing hate speech. Conservatives argue that there is no intellectual diversity on college campuses and their views are already shut out and deemed offensive. That's why Milo declares an "all out war on social justice...[criticizing] feminism, the myth of the wage gap, the myth of campus rape culture.... [and] fix the lies the race baiters tell." Defenders say Milo's offensiveness is a reactionary measure against the closing space for free speech and inquiry on college campuses.
