A Higher-Ed Obligation

A Fox TV personality who would like me to use her name, posted another typically ridiculous comment about this issue. Michigan State sophomore Jullian Kirk's Snapchats and subsequent apology regarding her use of the N-word multiple time as well as bragging about her treatment of those with mental and physical challenges while out with her friends and then posting it for all to see and hear speak loudly enough about her own disabilities.

This is another form of hate speech.

People like this young girl (she’s not a lady for sure) use social media to exercise their inner sadness, fear, and lack of intelligence to give life to their inner demons.  While free speech is a hallmark of our way of life, it does not give her the right to demean or dehumanize or humiliate others because they have different skin color, different religious beliefs, or different disabilities (we all have them).

It does give her the right to exhibit her lack of understanding of human decency and to give full light to her small mindedness and the sad admission of her limited exposure to the world.  So, yes, she has the right to show her disabilities through her free speech.  We also have the right to help her try to live up to the perfunctory words and thoughts found in her apology.  Michigan State also has the right, and I would argue the obligation, to discipline her in a way that helps her learn.  Isn’t that a real purpose of education?