Ok, so here goes nothing!!!! I have been wanting to write down some thoughts on the recent contoversy here at school of what can and can not be said. I am not even sure I know what to say myself. I just felt liek I should. Recently it has been debated whether Norwich University should be able to limit some of the things written and produced and said by their students, specifically online. I think that this is outrageous even if it is within their right to do so. On the other hand I am ready to accept some of their concerns in this area. Several Norwich officials have become upset by things posted by students on Facebook as well as Myspace and even on personal blogs similar to this one. So what is wrong with voicing your opinion? Well, first I will say some legitimate concerns voiced by the school. When commants and things become degrading to a person or group of people or when they become threatening this is a good reason to try and limit speech. Recently they have seen some of this. It is a legitimate reason for concern especially when they are included at all as having a connection with the school, even if that is just that fact that they go there. If this is the case, well then fine maybe we shoudl be thinkign abotu restricting what people say. I have no problem admiting that this is well within their rights as a private college.
Here is what worries me. Why are they truly tryign to limit it? I have seriously come to question whether the reasons stated above truly are why. I have notice that soem of the sites/ groups being noted as possibly being censored are simply people voicing complaints against the school. Some are open forums for legitimate issues which the school should be made aware of. The internet is free to the world, and therefore people have every right to write there what they want. They need to simply realize that equal to this, what they right could be used against them in the future. For instance students have every right to post and discuss problems with the school, but say int the future they wanted to get a job with the school or say even working with someone closely connected with the school it could become a road block to them getting hired. The balance goes both ways. As a result Norwich is wrong to limit what students say simply because they do not like it. For instance I am entitled to my opinions that the Corp of Cadets is goign down hill and becoming weak and that the school is becoming increasingly civilian in all aspects and stretching away form its military traditions. I have no problem saying that they are legitimate complaints that I can back up with arguments. So if this is what the school wants to limit they have no real right, and even if they do it goes against they principles they are training men and women to protect. Years form now I could be fighting somewhere to defend the rights of protesters and men and women who burn the flag. So should I not have the right to complain or to voice disgust against things I do not support, like sharing the UP with civilian students. As far the letter written by that civilian girl who said that Katrina and 911 were covenient excuses for Bush to spread his ideas, well as much as I hate what she said, she had every right to say it. On the other hand anyone who disagrees with her has every right to say so, provided it does not come to personal insults and threats. I wish people woudl stop feeling sorry for her though, because so many people have taken the time to speak out against her. They have evry right and she shoudl have though about what she was saying before she said it. People have the right to argue the rediculousness of her argument and to make fun of it. Make fun of her argument not of her, because doing that is enough to make her feels stupid. So in conclusion, with freedom of speech comes responsibility, so you people who are mindless enough to threaten or make fun of someone personally need to realize this. You have the right to say what you want, but remember why you have that right, and that abusing it goes against the whoel point of having it. As far as Norwich, maybe they need to spend less time trying to restrict the freedom of their students and mroe time educting them to use them properly. As far as people voicing legitimate arguments about the school, they ought to have the right. Norwich would be wise to listen to its student population and take in what we have tto say with an open mind. It doesn't mean they have to do it, but they coudl definitely learn somethig form it. You are nto perfect by any means, and you are only making matter worse by threatening to censor students.
