I Found Self Censorship Instead By Emma Camp Pdf

In the op-ed titled “I came to College Eager to debate. I found Self- Censorship Instead.” written by Emma Camp, she argues that educational institutions, specifically universities, must take initiative and implement policies that encourage free speech by students. Camp incorporates her personal experience of self-censorship to make an emphasis on the unbelievable amount of students who remain silent due to fear. This fear is due to withholding unpopular opinions which differ from other classmates leading to harsh criticism to arise. Although the solution individuals express is that students should be more courageous to fix this ongoing issue, she highlights various aspects which institutions may improve upon to fully resolve self-censorship

No one else but society itself is to blame for the existence of self-censorship, in the text she explains the criticism she received when stating that “non-Indian women can criticize suttee, a historical practice of ritual suicide by Indian widows.” No academic speech code was imposed by her institution making this a prohibited comment to make, yet her classmates fully disagreed with her statement. Perhaps due to their values or other factors proving that this issue is beyond the blame of institutions. Whether it takes place in classrooms, parks, or any public establishment people will rise to criticize any comments or opinions they do not conform to, further leading to cancel culture and self-censorship being imposed. After this event she experienced, she expresses the fear she felt to express her opinion as it was unpredicted whether her classmates would bash at her once again. She expresses that “discussions became monotonous echo chambers” as individuals fear being harshly criticized. Now, it is evident that although progression has been made towards exercising our first amendment in this country, people remain close minded and unwilling to hear a diverse set of ideas. Witnessing events such as the civil rights movement should allow us to unite as a nation and attempt to achieve full exercise of our first amendment, instead of holding each other back. If the issue of self-censorship is addressed, it will facilitate progression across university campuses as well. Students, faculty, and professors will feel more freedom towards the ideas they can express without any judgment being expressed by their peers. This will enrich the quality of education by improving the amount of class discussions and perhaps expanding the curriculum/ concepts that students are