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Letter: Offensive free speech, while not liked, shouldn't be stifled

As a student here at Ohio University, it bothers me that free speech is stifled under the guise of sexism and racism. 

For example, people complain about protests that are happening on campus or how a fraternity put a giant sign saying “daughters are welcome” on their house. Some people are protesting about all the police shootings; others are being vocal about the rapes on campus. 

I’m not here to victim blame. However, some things that happen on campus involve free speech, and they should not be stopped.

Everyone has different opinions, and suppressing alternative views to prevent hurt feelings is thwarting the conversations that need to take place. 

Students on this campus need to realize that the world sucks. I urge people to toughen up, and when they hear things that they don’t like, they should address the issues with intelligence, rather than trying to shut everything down.

No one wants to live in a world filled with crime, yet crime is a part of the real world. College should be a time of learning, and real learning means facing views that are different from our own. There are complicated issues surrounding police shootings, and all opinions should be heard. Furthermore, while graphic sexual language on a fraternity house may be rude or inappropriate, it is not against the law or the reason for assaults.

Ohio University needs to honor free speech. Otherwise, college will become a sheltered experience; students will not be prepared to face the world, and graduates will have no understanding of reality.

Alex Yu is a freshman studying sociology and criminology at Ohio University.

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