2017/04/24: Banned lecture at Linfield College: Ethics and Free Speech

So, back in February, I received the following letter from a student at Linfield College. And, according to its website, "With campuses in McMinnville, Portland, and a prestigious online program, Linfield College is a premier choice in the Pacific Northwest for a high quality, traditional liberal arts education. Want to learn more? Contact us for details about our degree and certificate program offerings."

A student there, who I won't name, sent me the following letter:

"Dear Dr. Peterson, I'm an undergraduate student at Linfield College at McMinnville, Oregon. The International Students for Liberty Conference recently granted me a small sum to organize pro-liberty events on campus, with an emphasis on the importance of free speech. I'm writing to ask you if you're accepting speaking invitations at this time, and, if you're scheduled sometime between now and May, would allow it to help narrow down my options. I would like to offer you 1500 dollars and an invitation to speak here this spring semester. Your travel and accommodation costs will also be covered.

I perceive Linfield as an institution at an ideological crossroads. I feel it is my responsibility to pick the most effective voice possible for helping Linfield chart a course that will ensure its future as a place of reason and academic integrity. After listening to many of your lectures and interviews, I believe your message is ideal for our campus. Honest and productive argumentation is one of your specialties. Linfield would greatly benefit from being introduced to your ideas on the subject. We are a small college of roughly 2000 students, situated in quiet wine country. Your work continues to have a deep impact on my personal and intellectual growth. I'd be honored to hear from you. Thank you for your time and consideration."

So, after considering it for a while, I agreed to come speak at Linfield College. On March 18th, I received a note from an inviting student, who said:

"Good morning Dr. Peterson, I would be overjoyed to confirm a date."

So we went about doing that. On April 7th, he replied to me again to update me. He said:

"The talk will be held in ICE auditorium, in Melrose Hall, April 24th, beginning at 7 pm. I'm referring to the event simply as 'A Talk with Jordan Peterson' because his speaking style allows for a lot of fluidity in topic. However, the core theme to the event is the importance of Freedom of speech, especially in higher education."

Some of the administration/student government have begun to fret about the potential for people to feel 'offended and oppressed' by Peterson's talk. It's more pushback than I'd expected at Linfield, but I don't think it's a cause for concern. I find it hard to keep their worries at bay. And there's a very supportive group of students and community members who have my back. Free speech will win.

On April 17th, the following article appeared in the student newspaper by Kaelia Neal, Editor in Chief. It's called "Hate Symbol on Ball Riles Campus."

The Linfield Young Americans for Liberty group's free speech ball outside Walker's Hall on April 12th received attention from students and faculty when a student drew Pepe the Frog, which has recently been appropriated by white supremacist groups. Linfield College posted a picture of the ball on its Instagram account, but it was later removed because of the frog's association with alt-right groups.

"As soon as it was pointed out that the photo included the image, the Instagram post was removed," President Thomas Hellie said.

The free speech ball event, the first event in the Speak Freely series at Linfield, encouraged students to express themselves by writing and drawing on the ball to promote free speech. Pepe the Frog is a popular Internet meme that has often appeared in humorous ways. The Anti-Defamation League has listed Pepe the Frog on its hate symbols database.

"I only heard about it second hand, and I understand that it is a place for free speech, but in all reality it was certainly done in very poor taste," junior John Christianson said.

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