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COMMENTS:
Voted : They should be allowed to debate their views
we don't have to like and we don't have to agree but IMO, they have the right to say it.
i find this sort of thing occuring with religion mor ethan anything else..
by aya on Mon Nov 26, 07 8:30am
[+]
Voted : They should be allowed to debate their views
They better enjoy freedom of speech while they still have it.
The question of whether such idiots should be allowed to express their ridiculous, hate-filled and asinine views is is generally "yes". The real question and perhaps what the ballot should be about is whether it is appropriate for a supposed institution of higher learning to provide this forum. This is an almost identical issue that Columbia University faced with allowing Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a forum to speak.
When a university provides a forum for such people, they in many people's minds are implicitly granting some credibility to that person's ideas. The debate of ideas within a university setting should be vigorous. However, it should remind people of or be modeled after such great historical debates such as the Abraham Lincoln and Stephan Douglas debates and the great debates or dialogues of ancient Greece of such people as Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato. The debates should NOT be at a level lower than what the characters from the film "Dumb and Dumber" are capable of.
The Oxford Union Debating Society has not elevated "free speech" by taking such a stance. They have in fact done the opposite. They have taken the low road in promoting "free speech". An institution's integrity and credibility is not elevated by such an event. It is diminished by it. Its similar to someone saying they are promoting the highest in sports ideals by allowing and promoting "Professional" Wrestling. Its a joke and has little more than some mild entertainment value.
Dr. Julian Lewis is correct. The Oxford Union and the students should ashamed of themselves. Apparently, Oxford no longer teaches Epistemology, Debate, and the Scientific Method. It seems that they are teaching students how to be carnival barkers, hucksters, and conspiracy believing drones.
What's next Oxford? Will you invite Robert Mugabe, Osama Bin Laden, and the like to express their views? After all, shouldn't we allow Oxford to be used as a forum for these people? Would you have allowed Oxford to be used as a forum for such historical figures as Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Adolf Hitler, Oswald Mosley, "Lord Hee Haw", the leaders of the genocide in Rwanda and various other characters. Don't all these people deserve the right to express their views in a free and open forum?
Its sad that such supposedly top shelf universities allow themselves to be used in this way. It damages their credibility and cheapens their reputations. What exactly is the educational benefit of allowing these folks to speak?
Uh, FiddleFaddle, that was "Lord Haw Haw," actually.
Lord Hee Haw would be George W. Bush.
Voted : They should be allowed to debate their views
The day we begin silencing those who disagree with us is the day Uncle Joe Stalin rises up and retakes office.
Voted : They should be allowed to debate their views
let them speak. if they're so bad few will listen or follow their words anyway.
Voted : They should not be allowed to debate their views
I think the historian Richard Evans would be a better choice than politician Nick Griffin.
cranky, you right. They must have been reporting on Bush on the television when I was writing my response. Welcome back.
CRANKY!!!!!
WFT you been? And where's my money?
CRANKY!!!!!
WTF you been? And where's my money?
Voted : They should be allowed to debate their views
Hey Cranky, don't continue to be a stranger, you are greatly missed around here 
Source BBC and you know that maaaaan! 
Hello everybody. Best regards. I lurk occasionally, just to see what's new. Hope all is well.
Voted : They should be allowed to debate their views
Isn't it only Provication if it incites a riot? There has been similar circumstances at Columbia. Personally, I think institutions of higher education have an inherent obligation to allow all forms of speech, no matter how delicate or questionable.
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