The Silencing

by Kirsten Powers

  I’ve chronicled in this book the myriad ways such a hostile and baseless bias has seeped into our culture. We’ve seen an Internet executive forced from his job for a private donation to a same-sex marriage initiative and a fast-food employee verbally accosted for working at Chick-fil-A. By this time next year there will likely be another ream of examples of illiberal silencing. So, what can be done?

  The first step toward change is to acknowledge the problem. I hope this book will serve as a starting place for such an acknowledgment among sincere liberals. While the illiberal left likely will not be swayed from their silencing campaign, the more open-minded liberals who provide aid and comfort to them might be.

  David French, a free speech advocate who currently serves as senior counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), shared a story with me recently that illustrates how this might work. French, a Harvard Law School graduate and evangelical Christian, was serving on the admissions committee of Cornell Law School when a student hailing from a religious college was put up for consideration. “I’ll never forget watching the committee almost vote to reject an incredibly qualified candidate because—and they put this in writing—they didn’t want a ‘Bible thumping’ student who might be a member of the ‘God squad,’” French told me. After French confronted the committee, noting that his own background was similar to the applicant’s, they appeared chagrined and ultimately accepted the student.

  But what if French hadn’t been there? The student almost certainly would have been rejected.

  “That episode taught me a couple things,” said French. “First, anti-Christian discrimination can be reflexive; and second, a little bit of true intellectual diversity can go a long way towards reversing its effects. Those folks were my friends, yet their biases were deeply ingrained.”

  The moral of this story is simple: we should all make efforts to invite people who hold different views into our worlds. Contrary to popular thought, familiarity doesn’t breed contempt. It breeds understanding and tolerance. Now, go make some unlikely friends.

  NOTES

  INTRODUCTION

  1.Gary A. Tobin and Aryeh K. Weinberg, “Profiles of the American University: Volume II: Religious Beliefs & Behavior of College Faculty,” Institute for Jewish & Community Research, 2007, http://www.jewishresearch.org/PDFs2/FacultyReligion07.pdf.

  2.José L. Duarte et al., “Political Diversity Will Improve Social Psychological Science,” Behavioral and Brain Sciences (Cambridge University Press, 2014), https://journals.cambridge.org/images/fileUpload/documents/Duarte-Haidt_BBS-D-14-00108_preprint.pdf.

  CHAPTER ONE: REPRESSIVE TOLERANCE

  1.“Transcription of ‘Challenging the Ideological Echo Chamber: Free Speech, Civil Discourse and the Liberal Arts,’” Smith Sophian, October 13, 2014, http://www.thesmithsophian.com/2014/10/13/transcription-of-challenging-the-ideological-echo-chamber-free-speech-civil-discourse-and-the-liberal-arts/.

  2.Ibid.

  3.Leah Willingham, “Smith College Community Reacts to Racially-Charged Remark by Alumna,” Mount Holyoke News, October 22, 2014, http://mountholyokenews.org/2014/10/11/smith-college-community-reacts-to-racially-charged-remark-by-alumna/.

  4.“Transcription of ‘Challenging the Ideological Echo Chamber.’”

  5.Willingham, “Smith College Community Reacts.”

  6.Ibid.

  7.Jordan Houston, “5 Ways to Use White Privilege as an Ally,” Huffington Post, October 15, 2014, updated December 15, 2014, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jordan-houston/5-ways-to-use-white-privi_b_5991622.html.

  8.Fredrik deBoer, “Bingo Cards Go Both Ways,” FredrikdeBoer.com, April 29, 2014, http://fredrikdeboer.com/2014/04/29/bingo-cards-go-both-ways/.

  9.“Tell the Washington Post: Don’t Promote Climate Change Denial” petition, Forecast The Facts website, http://act.forecastthefacts.org/sign/tell_washpost_dontpublishlies/; “110K Call on the Washington Post to End Climate Change Denial in Its Editorial Page,” Forecast The Facts website, February 20, 2014, http://forecastthefacts.org/press/releases/2014/2/20/110k-call-washington-post-end-climate-change-denia/.

  10.Philip Caulfield, “Forbes Sacks Columnist over Piece Saying ‘Drunk’ Female Students Pose ‘Gravest’ Threat to Frats; Writer Responds, ‘I Stand by Every Word,’” New York Daily News, September 24, 2014, http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/forbes-columnist-sacked-piece-drunk-female-guests-grave-threat-frats-writer-responds-article-1.1951124; “Tell the Washington Post: Fire George Will” petition, UltraViolet, http://act.weareultraviolet.org/cms/sign/Fire_George_Will/; as seen on On the Record with Greta Van Susteren, “Student Says His Home Was Egged & He Was Fired for Conservative Column,” Fox News, December 18, 2014, http://insider.foxnews.com/2014/12/18/student-says-his-home-was-egged-he-was-fired-conservative-column.

  11.Mike Allen, “Fox ‘Not Really News,’ Says Axelrod,” Politico, October 18, 2009, http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/28417.html#ixzz2IYVABVlp.

  12.David Martosko, “Left-Wing Foundations Lavish Millions on Media Matters,” Daily Caller, February 17, 2012, http://dailycaller.com/2012/02/17/left-wing-foundations-lavish-millions-on-media-matters/; Media Matters for America (MMFA), DiscovertheNetworks.org, http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/printgroupProfile.asp?grpid=7150.

  13.Ben Smith, “Media Matters’ War against Fox,” Politico, updated March 27, 2011, http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/51949.html.

  14.“Media Matters 2012: A Three-Year Campaign,” Media Matters for America, available on Scribd, 40, https://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/81500388?access_key=key-24nmzdhkwvvpj2lmcndy&allow_share=true&escape=false&view_mode=scroll; “Media Matters’ ‘War on Fox’ Memo,” Buzzfeed, February 13, 2012, http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedpolitics/media-matters-war-on-fox-memo#.neYAQ7NpG.

  15.Ari Cohn, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, February 24, 2015.

  16.Greg Lukianoff, Freedom from Speech (New York: Encounter Books, 2014).

  17.David Mark, “Contracting Out U.S. Security? And Will Branding Tea Party ‘Racist’ Work?,” Politico, July 20, 2010, http://www.politico.com/arena/perm/Mary_Frances_Berry_91E3D9D5-C40D-440C-9D48-1C50CBC60C87.html.

  18.“Maher vs. Muslim Journo on Berkeley Speech: ‘Whoever Told You You Only Had to Hear What Didn’t Upset You?,” RealClearPolitics, October 31, 2014, http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2014/10/31/maher_vs_muslim_guest_on_berkeley_speech_whoever_told_you_you_only_had_to_hear_what_didnt_upset_you.html.

  19.Matt Wilstein, “Bill Maher Calls Out ‘Bullshi*t’ Petition ahead of Berkeley Speech,” Mediaite, December 4, 2014, http://www.mediaite.com/online/bill-maher-calls-out-bullsht-petition-ahead-of-berkeley-speech/.

  20.“Mozilla Leadership Changes,” Mozilla Blog, March 24, 2014, https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2014/03/24/mozilla-leadership-changes/.

  21.Brendan Eich, “Community and Diversity,” BrendanEich.com, April 5, 2012, https://brendaneich.com/2012/04/community-and-diversity/.

  22.“Proposition 8: Who Gave in the Gay Marriage Battle?,” Los Angeles Times, http://projects.latimes.com/prop8/donation/8930/.

  23.Deborah Netburn, “Brendan Eich’s Prop. 8 Contribution Gets Twittersphere Buzzing,” Los Angeles Times, April 4, 2012, http://articles.latimes.com/2012/apr/04/business/la-fi-tn-brendan-eich-prop-8-contribution-20120404.

  24.“Inclusiveness at Mozilla,” BrendanEich.com, March 26, 2014, https://brendaneich.com/2014/03/inclusiveness-at-mozilla/.

  25.Sunnivie Brydum, “Nearly 65K Demand Mozilla CEO Come Out for Marriage Equality,” Advocate, March 31, 2014, http://www.advocate.com/business/technology/2014/03/31/nearly-65k-demand-mozilla-ceo-come-out-marriage-equality.

  26.“Brendan Eich Steps Down as Mozilla CEO,” Mozilla Blog, April 3, 2014, https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2014/04/03/brendan-eich-steps-down-as-mozilla-ceo/.

  27.Andrew Sullivan, “Here Comes the Groom,” New Republic, August 28, 1989, http://www.newrepublic.com/article/79054/here-comes-the-groom.

  28.“Dissents of the Day,” TheDish,
April 4, 2014, http://dish.andrewsullivan.com/2014/04/04/dissents-of-the-day-63/.

  29.Charles Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu, The Complete Works of M. de Montesquieu (London: T. Evans, 1777), 4 vols., vol. 1., http://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/837.

  30.Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America.

  31.Alex Doody, “Protests at Exeter over OSFL Abortion Panel Event,” Cherwell, February 7, 2015, http://www.cherwell.org/news/topstories/2015/02/06/protests-at-exeter-over-osfl-abortion-panel-event.

  32.“Three Reasons to Affirm Free Speech—Keynote Address at FIRE’s 15th Anniversary Dinner,” FIRE, October 23, 2014, http://www.thefire.org/three-reasons-affirm-free-speech-keynote-address-fires-15th-anniversary-dinner/.

  33.Concurring opinion in Whitney v. California, 1927, text available at Legal Information Institute, https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/274/357.

  34.Geoffrey R. Stone, “Justice Brennan and the Freedom of Speech: A First Amendment Odyssey,” University of Pennsylvania Law Review, http://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3755&context=penn_law_review.

  35.New York Times v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254, 270 (1964).

  36.Marc Morano, “Update: Video: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Wants to Jail His Political Opponents—Accuses Koch Brothers of ‘Treason’—‘They Ought to Be Serving Time for It,’” Climate Depot, September 21, 2014, see video, http://www.climatedepot.com/2014/09/21/robert-f-kennedy-jr-wants-to-jail-his-political-opponents-accuses-koch-brothers-of-treason-they-ought-to-be-serving-time-for-it/.

  37.Stephen Brooks, Understanding American Politics (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2009), 287.

  38.“RFK Jr: Eternity in Jail for Coal CEO,” Green Hell Blog, March 2, 2009, http://greenhellblog.com/2009/03/02/rfk-jr-eternity-in-jail-for-coal-ceo/.

  39.Floyd Abrams, speech provided to author.

  40.Steven H. Shiffrin, Cornell University Law School, http://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/faculty/bio.cfm?id=72.

  41.Steven H. Shiffrin, “The Dark Side of the First Amendment,” UCLA Law Review, 61 UCLA L. Rev. 1480 (2014), http://www.uclalawreview.org/pdf/61-5-7.pdf.

  42.Eric Posner, “The World Doesn’t Love the First Amendment,” Slate, September 25, 2012, http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2012/09/the_vile_anti_muslim_video_and_the_first_amendment_does_the_u_s_overvalue_free_speech_.single.html.

  43.“State of the First Amendment: 2013,” First Amendment Center, 2013, http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/madison/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/SOFA-2013-final-report.pdf.

  44.Jonathan Haidt, “The Bright Future of Post-Partisan Social Psychology,” Edge.org, February 11, 2011, https://edge.org/conversation/the-bright-future-of-post-partisan-social-psychology; John Tierney, “Social Scientist Sees Bias Within,” New York Times, February 7, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/science/08tier.html?_r=0.

  45.“Three Reasons to Affirm Free Speech—Keynote Address at FIRE’s 15th Anniversary Dinner.”

  CHAPTER TWO: DELEGITIMIZING DISSENT

  1.“Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast,” in “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (1970– ), Awards,” IMDb, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0231035/awards.

  2.Campbell Brown, “Teachers Unions Go to Bat for Sexual Predators,” Wall Street Journal, July 29, 2012, http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390443437504577547313612049308.

  3.Stephen Sawchuk, “A Twitter Debate on Teacher Sexual Misconduct,” Education Week, August 2, 2014, http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/teacherbeat/2012/08/a_twitter_debate_on_teacher_se.html.

  4.Stephanie Simon, “Obama Alums Join Anti-Teachers Union Case,” Politico, June 24, 2014, http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/robert-gibbs-ben-labolt-legal-fight-teachers-union-incite-agency-108243.html.

  5.Kirsten Powers, “Left-Wing Teacher Groups Launch Sexist Crusade,” USA Today, August 19, 2014, http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/08/19/powers-left-campbell-brown-school-choice-teacher-groups-sexist-crusade-column/14299039/.

  6.Paul Farhi, “Campbell Brown Goes after Teacher Tenure in Transition from Journalist to Advocate,” Washington Post, July 14, 2014, http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/campbell-brown-goes-after-teacher-tenure-in-transition-from-journalist-to-advocate/2014/07/14/58fdb33e-0919-11e4-a0dd-f2b22a257353_story.html.

  7.Michelle Rhee, “My Break with the Democrats,” Daily Beast, February 4, 2013, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/04/michelle-rhee-my-break-with-the-democrats.html.

  8.Richard Whitmire, “What Is behind the Discrediting of Michelle Rhee?,” Education Week, February 28, 2011, http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/03/02/22whitmire.h30.html.

  9.Ibid.

  10.Michele McNeil, “U.S. Dept. of Ed. Protesters Turn Fierce Rhetoric on ‘Corporate’ Reform,” Education Week, April 4, 2013, http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2013/04/education_department_protesters_turn_fierce_rhetoric_on_corporate_reform.html.

  11.Jeff Bryant, “Michelle Rhee Misreads ‘Shift among Democrats’ on Education,” Campaign for America’s Future, October 12, 2012, http://ourfuture.org/20121012/michelle-rhee-misreads-shift-among-democrats-on-education.

  12.Jeff Bryant, “Education ‘Reform’s’ New Ann Coulter: A Reeling Michelle Rhee Passes the Lead to Campbell Brown,” Salon.com, July 23, 2014, http://www.salon.com/2014/07/23/education_reforms_new_ann_coulter_a_reeling_michelle_rhee_passes_the_lead_to_campbell_brown/.

  13.Alexander Russo, “Update: Union Defends Anti-Rhee Site/Attacks Rhee Secrecy,” Scholastic’s This Week In Education, August 29, 2011, http://scholasticadministrator.typepad.com/thisweekineducation/2011/08/confronted-with-information-published-in-politico-that-rheefirst-was-an-anonymous-attack-vehicle-secretly-created-inside-the.html#.VOafTilUXjQ.

  14.Jeremy Waldron, “Hate Speech and Free Speech, Part Two,” New York Times, June 18, 2012, http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/18/hate-speech-and-free-speech-part-two/?_r=0.

  15.Andrew Kaczynski, “Democratic Congressman Makes Shocking Racial Comments about Republicans, Clarence Thomas, Mitch McConnell,” Buzzfeed News, April 29, 2014, http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/democratic-congressman-makes-shocking-racial-comments-about.

  16.Ron Christie, “Why Criticizing Obama Isn’t Racist,” Daily Beast, November 29, 2013, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/11/29/criticizing-obama-isnt-racist.html.

  17.Dexter Mullins, “Do Black People Really Know Their ‘Uncle Tom’?,” Grio, February 16, 2011, http://thegrio.com/2011/02/16/do-black-people-really-know-their-uncle-tom/; Adena Spingarn, “When ‘Uncle Tom’ Became an Insult,” Root, May 17, 2010, http://www.theroot.com/articles/politics/2010/05/uncle_tom_from_compliment_to_insult.html.

  18.“Radio Host Calls Rice an ‘Aunt Jemima,’” Fox News, November 19, 2004, http://www.foxnews.com/story/2004/11/19/radio-host-calls-rice-aunt-jemima/.

  19.See excerpt from Malcolm X, “The Race Problem,” African Students Association and NAACP Campus Chapter, Michigan State University, January 23, 1963, available here: http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/mmt/mxp/speeches/mxa17.html.

  20.Raffi Williams, interview with author, January 16, 2015.

  21.“Steele Weighs in on the Oreo Incident,” Baltimore Sun, November 15, 2005, http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2005-11-15/news/0511150358_1_oreo-cookies-ehrlich-steele; “Michael Steele Oreo Incident Eyewitness Report,” Amy Ridenour, National Center Blog, National Center for Public Policy Research, November 23, 2005, http://www.nationalcenter.org/2005/11/michael-steele-oreo-incident.html.

  22.“The Top 10 Sambos Living in America Today,” ThyBlackMan, June 30, 2011, http://thyblackman.com/2011/06/30/the-top-10-sambos-living-in-america-today/.

  23.Blogxilla GlobalGrindTV, “Samuel Jackson Talks Troubles of Playing a ‘House Negro’ In Django Unchained,” YouTube, December 26, 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYkZe3yprKU; Jeff Poor, “Jason Whitlock Strikes again: Likens Thomas Sowell to ‘House Negro’ Film Character,” Daily Caller, January 3, 2013, htt
p://dailycaller.com/2013/01/03/jason-whitlock-likens-thomas-sowell-to-house-negro-film-character/.

  24.“The Top 10 Sambos Living in America Today.”

  25.Ibid.

  26.Ibid.

  27.Pam Key, “MSNBC Guest: Jindal ‘Trying to Scrub Some of the Brown Off His Skin,” Breitbart, January 19, 2015, http://www.breitbart.com/video/2015/01/19/msnbc-guest-jindal-trying-to-scrub-some-of-the-brown-off-his-skin/.

  28.Darron T. Smith, “She Looks Black, but Her Politics Are Red: What Mia Love’s Victory Means for the Face of the GOP,” Huffington Post, November 6, 2014, updated January 6, 2015, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/darron-t-smith-phd/mia-love_b_6116466.html.

  29.Hamilton Nolan, “The Breathtaking Cynicism of the Mia Love Lovefest,” Gawker, November 6, 2014, http://gawker.com/the-breathtaking-cynicism-of-the-mia-love-lovefest-1655416459.

  30.Smith, “She Looks Black.”

  31.Erica Ritz, “RNC Star Mia Love’s Wikipedia Reportedly Changed to ‘Dirty, Worthless Wh*re’ Who Is a ‘House Ni**er,’” TheBlaze, August 29, 2012, http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/08/29/rnc-star-mia-loves-wikipedia-reportedly-changed-to-dirty-worthless-whre’-who-is-a-house-nier/.

  32.“Sick: Wikipedia Entry Calls Mia Love ‘Dirty, Worthless Whore’ and ‘House Nigger,’” Twitchy, August 29, 2012, http://twitchy.com/2012/08/29/sick-wikipedia-entry-calls-mia-love-dirty-worthless-whore-and-house-nigger/.

  33.John Monk, “NC NAACP Chief Denounces Extremists of All Kinds, Including Conservatives,” State, January 19, 2014, http://www.thestate.com/2014/01/19/3216854_in-fiery-pre-mlk-day-speech-nc.html?rh=1.

  34.Jim Morrill, “Barber defends ‘Dummy’ remark,” Charlotte Observer, January 23, 2014, available at NCSpin.com, http://www.ncspin.com/barber-defends-dummy-remark/.