One of my sons sat down in the lecture room prepared to hear the professor’s introduction and greeting. Instead, she told the class of undergrads that she was a leftist, a lesbian, and that her class would be taught with that as her foundation. She added a few more caveats to inform the class that, if a student was disposed to argue a point, that point would be undoubtedly disregarded and likely would count against his grade.
Before she had finished explaining how she would run her indoctrination, my son had taken out his laptop and dropped the class. He looked at one of his friends, who was also in the class, and the friend mentioned that he was also dropping the class. My son said: “Way ahead of you.” He picked up his things and walked out, followed by his friend. What influenced their move wasn’t her “worldview”; it was the certainty that whatever he said to counter her claims would be ignored or shouted down. Any "debate" was closed.
The free expression of ideas is dying. I’ve written about one friend who became very animated when he brought up some “bad” stats on guns and gun violence. I corrected him. He got louder and louder. Without debate – without the people speaking respectfully with each other, there is no “turning a corner” to common ground.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has published a report annually for the past six years. I reviewed last year’s findings, and I was bothered that a high percentage of conservatives would “shout down” a leftist talking about “transgender.” That reduces our side to their side.
FIRE’s 2026 report is out, and Indiana University is ranked as the “worst” for free speech.
While 69% of students said they felt they could not speak out on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a majority of them said other “controversial topics” were also taboo at IU. These topics included abortion (63%), the 2024 election (60%), transgender rights (54%), and racial inequality (48%).
FIRE notes that students with a more conservative bent “self-censor” on campus and likely in social settings as well.
After six years of surveying almost 300,000 college undergraduates nationwide, a sobering picture has emerged: students are reluctant to speak their minds, especially on controversial political issues. Many report that they self-censor regularly, avoid certain topics entirely, and doubt their administrators would defend free expression if controversy struck.
The atmosphere isn’t just cautious — it’s hostile. Students continue to show low tolerance for controversial speakers, and troublingly, more believe it’s acceptable to shout down a speaker, block access to events, or even resort to violence to silence campus speech than ever before. These attitudes have either held steady or worsened in the past year.
Foretelling the Death of Free Speech (VIP)
FIRE’s report also noted a terrible shift. Students of all stripes are unwilling to listen to the other side.
One of the most striking shifts this year? The percentage of students willing to allow controversial speakers on campus declined across the board — and the drop is even sharper for controversial liberal speakers than conservative ones.
Notwithstanding what left-leaning “news” talking heads have claimed since the murder of Charlie Kirk, the vast majority of hate speech is coming from the left. Almost all of the violence is inspired by leftists on social media, leftists in Congress, and leftists in several states. Gavin Newsom will direct hot and violent rhetoric at Trump, then he will decry hot rhetoric from the right.
I don’t have a solution. Unfortunately, I think we have passed over the Rubicon. Free speech should be practiced by everyone, but the left remains intent on calling conservatives “fascists” and “Nazis” and then shouting us down when we ask them to:
“Show your work.”
When that doesn't work, they turn violent.
On campuses across America, students are allowed to speak, but only if their words conform to leftist ideology.
Students have been radicalized. Apparently, they no longer want to shout someone off their campus; now some of them believe murder is justified. When their “leaders” call us Nazis and fascists, students on college campuses will think that they are the French Resistance, and the end result will be the death of Charlie Kirk. I haven't seen the video of Kirk's death. I never will because I don't need to see it. The left, on the other hand, has legions of haters who celebrated Kirk's death.
Found him. @statefarm_206 https://t.co/Fs3eZqKKUN
— Cam Higby 🇺🇸 (@camhigby) September 11, 2025
Evil exists. Unless "that side" is willing to listen to those who follow Charlie Kirk, we are lost.
The nation’s elite academic institutions have lost the plot and become full-on indoctrination centers.
Trump is fighting back.
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