By Richard Harris for TOWNHALL
The shocking revelation in a recent survey by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression that 90 percent of college students in America believe that “words are violence” means America is in very serious trouble. This indicates a fundamentally different worldview that is incompatible with American ideals. Our nation is built on God-given freedom and individual rights, with the right of free speech at the core. Without free speech, there can be no self-government, no pursuit of truth, no protection of conscience, and no meaningful liberty.
When peaceful means fail, it is morally acceptable, and even necessary at times, to stop violence with violence. Therefore, if words are violence, then it’s OK to use violence to stop words. And if our nation becomes persuaded that violence is justified to stop words (as Charlie Kirk’s assassin must have believed), then freedom of speech will be gone, and our republic will be lost. This is not hyperbole. It is an historically grounded assessment of where our nation is headed if we do not wake up and restore the education system in this country.
Of course, the notion that “words are violence” is utter nonsense. There is a difference between speech — which is nonphysical — and violence, which is physical. As blogger Greg Lukianoff observed, “Anyone who equates speech and violence has likely never been punched in the face.” Yet the absurd notion that words are violence has become dogma on college campuses. How did this happen? The answer is simple: leftist elites in universities, teacher-training programs, and cultural institutions have been promoting the idea for decades.
The lie that words are violence is a convenient idea for the loser of an argument. Leftist ideology cannot withstand open debate. It always collapses under the weight of historical reality, moral truth, and the eternal principles enshrined in America’s founding documents. In an open exchange of ideas, free from intimidation, the principles of liberty, limited government, natural law, and individual responsibility win every time. Therefore, those seeking to impose neo-Marxist frameworks must resort to other means. Their arsenal always includes an escalating chain of intimidation tactics: shouting down speakers, profanity and name-calling, organized disruptions, censorship, social ostracism, professional retaliation, and ultimately physical violence.
