Today’s thought is not about a geographic location in the Southwest. Nor has Papa resurrected a warm memory of properly squared off corners on bed sheets from his Army days. I’m instead thinking of the Univrsity of Wisconsin Library Mall. It has four corners leading to a circular gathering area around the Hagenah Fountain. The area comes to mind today when I read about recent “shout downs” of speakers at various colleges around the US.
Perhaps the dead of winter might have frozen students to the indoors at times but Papa’s memory of that mall is of bustling activity that included a smorgasbord of passionately delivered speeches. To be sure it also served as a magnet for protests regarding many issues; 1960 Nashville riots, grape boycott, Vietnam War, and every variety of politician. But, what I remember is the free flow of ideas (including a fair share of rants and raves) from the mall’s four corners. Speakers simply set up shop and started to talk. Clusters of students might stop and listen for both short or long periods of time. A few true followers helped the speaker by cheering. Some who disagreed might jeer. But, I never witnessed an organized effort to silence/stop the speakers. Depending on the weather or one’s mood a person could wander about the mall listening or not. It was also a good place on a warm day to dangle feet in the fountain with free speech as background noise.
It is disheartening to hear that anyone, any view, is precluded at an institution of supposed higher learning. Walk away is always a choice if one doesn’t like a viewpoint. It is hard to comprehend being so afraid of words/thoughts that studnts can’t tolerate differing opinions. This of course goes back to my “sifting and winnowing” mention in a prior post. If you rascals make it to college, keep your minds open. (Sorry, I could not resist…”when” you make it to college.) It’s not that hard to sort out the good from the bad; the silly from the solid or common sense from folly. You have a brain and college is a time to continue its use. College is not the time or location to close your mind.