Alex Stein, Gavin McInnes, and the Fight for Free Speech

A slow march of destructive leftist idealism has resulted in attacks on fundamental free speech. Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images

Commentary

Remember way back when free speech was a principle that the U.S. educational system cared deeply about?

Me neither. It’s been so long.

Comedian Alex Stein and political commentator Gavin McInnes (also known for his role as co-founder of Vice magazine, as well as founder of the Proud Boys) recently had their speaking event at Penn State canceled.

The university released a statement that police determined the show could no longer go on “in the interest of campus safety.” Apparently, the use of pepper spray by one of the protestors further added to the heightening of tensions at the event. McInnes claims to have proof that it was a leftist provocateur trying to force the school to cancel the event (in which case, it worked). He and Stein were subsequently escorted out of the venue by police.

Stein posted a number of videos of his engaging with crowds of left-wing protestors before the event was set to begin. The happy warrior that he is, they include him smiling and laughing as the mostly black-clad, COVID mask-wearing students (certainly not Antifa, as President Joe Biden has assured us that the latter is “only an idea”) spew vitriolic obscenities at him. One particularly angry young woman (not to assume anyone’s gender) is actually taped outright spitting on Stein.

For his part, McInnes drew attention due to his role with the Proud Boys. In a video on his personal entertainment network, Censored.TV, McInnes goes through the opinion pieces and student group declamations against him. They all seem to imply that white supremacists were going to be roaming the college grounds looking for “black and queer” students to apparently beat up. Leftist groups and faculty members continuously cite the danger to “marginalized groups” on campus and the platforming of “neo-fascists and neo-confederates.”

It’s hard to say if those decrying the event actually perceived it as a physical threat to their safety. Given the constant lies from the media and the current state of the educational system, there is no way to know exactly where the line between propagandized true-believers and pure political expediency lies.

Speaking of the educational system, how did the university handle the controversy over the event? As a public institution, did it stand in a neutral position and say that it had no opinion on the matter?

Not quite.

Right-wing provocateur and Vice co-founder Gavin McInnes (C) pumps his fist during a rally at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park in Berkeley, Calif., on April 27, 2017. Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

More from the official statement: “The University has been clear that the views and speech of the two speakers at tonight’s student-organization-hosted event are abhorrent and do not align with the values of Penn State. We have encouraged peaceful protest, and, while protest is an acceptable means of expression, it becomes unacceptable when it obstructs the basic exchange of ideas.”

“Abhorrent,” eh? That’s a pretty strong word. Why not let people listen to the speakers for themselves and decide? Here’s McInnes further documenting all of the opposition he faced in the lead-up to the event. As for Stein, here he is on Fox News explaining what he is all about. The purpose of their talk seems to have been an attempt to combine comedy and politically relevant events to point to the extreme position of the American left. Which begs the question: why did the university seem to be so vehemently upset about the speakers?

Penn State as a public institution does not have a political affiliation—at least, it’s not supposed to. The school is subsequently not able to outright cancel any event due solely to the personal views held by a speaker. It seems much harder to argue that it was a neutral bystander when one considers its treatment of the event’s publicity, however. Taken in its full context, the entire debacle perfectly exemplifies how the U.S. university system allows, abets, and—in some cases—even directly promotes left-wing extremism.

As anyone who has recently been around the American academy can tell you, narratives or events that challenge the homogenous and entrenched left-wing worldview of the ivory tour of education are met with cries of “fascism.” Penn State faculty and left-wing student groups recited canned talking points, such as “Fascist Violence Isn’t a Viewpoint,” and released statements about counter-events to “shine a light on political violence and the tactics used by provocateurs.”

In one lecture preceding the event, Penn State professor Joan Donovan stated that McInnes had “no ideas but hate and violence.” Curiously, a message was also sent out by an “unauthorized group” to the entire student email list, which included the same line verbatim about McInnes, as well as an appeal to students to “stand up directly to oppose” the event.

Curious indeed.

So, how did the school respond to the unauthorized message, sent to an email list which only specific individuals—say, in the faculty and administration—are supposed to have access to? By further denouncing McInnes, Stein, and the right, of course.

“Many of the provocateurs who gain a platform for their denigrating rhetoric have their causes amplified by angry protests from those in our community who deplore their behavior and speech … Provocateurs love nothing more than to fill a room with protesters and record it as content for their online platforms. As a community, we should not advance their purposes.”

The message was clear: While violence is not acceptable, the main problem with it is that it helps right-wing talking points. In other words, the speakers are bringing it on themselves, and the only reason it should be avoided is because we don’t want to detract from left-wing narratives.

Does that sound like a politically unaffiliated institution to you?

The McInnes–Stein speaking event provides one of the best recent examples of how completely compromised the entire U.S. educational system is by the radical left. This might not seem like a revelatory statement. In matter of fact, it probably appears quite obvious.

Of course, the faculty—represented by figures such as Joan Donovan—is largely dominated by the far left. Of course, the students are subsequently being starved of intellectual substance in order to propagate left-wing activists who hate their families, their countries, and, ultimately, the students themselves. But it is the soft authoritarianism of universities in general that is the true death knell of any free interchange of ideas.

So just in case there was any doubt left in your mind, make no mistake: The institutional structure of the U.S. educational system is directly geared at making your children easily offended, perpetually angry, anti-American left-wing activists.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.