So you want to fight prejudice and change people’s minds? Step 1: Don’t insult them. Step 2: Have a real conversation.
To understand riots one must understand the causes of social rage, usually said to be racism, poverty, lack of economic opportunity, and why people who experience this rage manage it in such a destructive manner.
The Founders understood the incentive faced by Congress and the president to exceed the constitutional limits on their power.
Encryption was at the heart of the ideas that led to the America’s founding.
A year ago, lecturer Erika Christakis wrote an email criticizing Yale’s attempt to control students’ Halloween costumes. Christakis suggested that students, as adults, are capable of policing themselves, that the boundary between acceptable and unacceptable costumes is contestable, and that Halloween is holiday meant to allow people to indulge in certain transgressions. Students harassed her […]
“Anonymity is a shield from the tyranny of the majority” – Justice Paul Stevens When we think of anonymity on the internet, we often think of the negatives. Trolls say horrible things because they can hide behind a screen, but you might not know that anonymity is also a quintessential part of our functioning democracy.
Harvard Professor Michael Bronski explains what led to the pivotal moment when the Supreme Court ruled that discussing homosexuality was “okay.” Unfortunately there was actually a time when magazines with “gay or lesbian content”– not pornographic content– were censored by the Post Office. This era was a dark time for the LGBTQ community, when any […]
If a woman walked down the street in the 1950’s wearing men’s shoes, pants, a fedora, and a wristwatch, she could be arrested, fined, or even put in jail. Why? Because her attire violated “Three-Piece Laws,” which in many states forbade men and women from wearing more than three articles of clothing associated with the […]
The freedom to express ourselves implies a freedom to imbibe potentially harmful substances.
Kaepernick is engaging in a uniquely American way of making his belief’s known. He’s standing up for a cause he believes in, and in doing so he is using his platform and privilege to amplify an important message. For this he should be celebrated and defended, not shouted down and diminished.
We’re joining forces once a month with Learn Liberty to strengthen our commitment to furthering classical liberal ideas and free speech!
Author Lionel Shriver’s keynote address at the recent Brisbane Writer’s Festival has sparked heavy criticism. Shriver, best known for her book “We Need To Talk About Kevin”, spoke out against criticisms of authors based on cultural appropriation. The concept of cultural appropriation is divisive: some view it as oppression by majorities who adopt or appropriate […]
Are giant rats free speech? This is the question at the heart of an ongoing suit in against the town of Grand Chute, Wisconsin. As a form of protest, unions will place giant, inflatable “union rats” in front of businesses they have disputes with. In Grand Chute, the town ordered that one of these rats […]
YouTube is effectively censoring video content by barring videos that depict controversial subjects from collecting advertising revenue.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has sparked controversy by choosing not to stand for the national anthem. Despite shock and outrage, Kaepernick has defended this decision, telling NFL media: “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To […]
A woman who chooses to wear a burqa, burkini, or headscarf is exercising her right to dress herself how she wishes—the same right enjoyed by women who wear bikinis or even nothing at all on French beaches. French authorities aren’t liberating Muslim women by forcing them to change their clothes. They’re oppressing them.
Does a ban on signs on the beach infringe on property rights? Edward and DeLanie Goodwin, in partnership with the Pacific Legal Foundation, argue that it does, and have filed a lawsuit with Walden County, Florida. Walden County recently banned all signs on private beach property—this includes “Private Property” and “No Trespassing” signs meant to […]
Earlier this month, the FBI released footage of the protests in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray filmed from the Bureau’s surveillance aircraft. While the FBI spy planes were called in to help police deal with the violent riots which broke out in Baltimore, the FBI also recorded hours of footage of peaceful daytime […]
Libertarians have been quick to criticize the growing movement on college campuses to protect students from unsettling or offensive opinions. It would be wise not to swing too far to the other direction into the arms of bigots.
Feminists begin to turn on their own when some deviate from the feminist party line. Professor Laura Kipnis details her experience with campus censors in this Learn Liberty video.
Professor Laura Kipnis argues that modern day feminism is actually leading to the “disempowerment” of women.
Is asking someone, “Where are you from?” an example of microaggression? These days, it’s unclear. In general, people generally apply the term microaggression to describe subtle or perceived insults on socially marginalized groups. It’s such a vague term, however, that is often used to label behavior that could mean anything—or nothing at all. Nevertheless, in […]
Some of professor Laura Kipnis’ students thought she should be fired over writing a controversial essay. Here’s her take on standing up to censorship and writing the truth as she sees it.
The form of feminism that has emerged on college campuses recently may not be so beneficial for women. Professor Laura Kipnis of Northwestern University shares her views on the direction of modern feminism on campus, and the difference between a feminism that’s about vulnerability and a feminism about liberation.