MIT Faculty Votes for Statement on Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom

Re:MIT Faculty Votes for Statement on Freedom of Expression ... by sokoloff on Monday December 26, 2022 @08:34AM (#34137482)

Exactly. I’d rewrite that last paragraph as: You are neither obligated to hand anyone a megaphone, nor [delete: obligated] permitted to confiscate theirs.

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Re:MIT Faculty Votes for Statement on Freedom of Expression ... by licebmi__at__ on Monday December 26, 2022 @09:38AM (#34137905)

I believe this is exactly the equivocation that GP was talking about. Your rewrite is nice to hear, but paradoxical.

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Re:MIT Faculty Votes for Statement on Freedom of Expression ... by sokoloff on Monday December 26, 2022 @10:18AM (#34138253)

I don’t see the paradox. I don’t have to give you a megaphone, but if you have one, I’m not allowed to take it from you.

What’s the paradox there?

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Re:MIT Faculty Votes for Statement on Freedom of Expression ... by atchoo on Monday December 26, 2022 @02:52PM (#34141124)

It's a curious analogy because in many contexts, use of a megaphone is quite abusive warranting confiscation.

If I attend a political rally and the speaker uses a megaphone, that's fine, I have consented to it's use.

However other places I have witnessed their use has questionable legality due to breach of the peace because the audience has not consented e.g. getting heckled when entering a University site or getting assailed by someone promoting their batshit Christian cult when trying to do some shopping. I don't think anyone would assume a universal right to make unwanted amplified noise.

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Re:MIT Faculty Votes for Statement on Freedom of Expression ... by sokoloff on Monday December 26, 2022 @03:19PM (#34141397)

I have always assumed the megaphone to be figurative: a platform for publication, reach on Twitter, media advertising, etc.

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