The free speech wars and arguments over safe rooms and trigger warnings took an unusual turn at the University of California this week as new initiatives to prevent “intolerance” or unpopular speech on campus were debated. This discussion may prove uncomfortable for conservatives who are generally the ones being shunned at universities or having their guest speakers’ appearances cancelled, because the target here dealt with discussions of Israel ranging from political protests to outright anti-Semitism. At the heart of the debate was a call to prevent Jewish students from being made to feel “unsafe” because of their faith. (Times-Picayune)

Students, professors and activists wrangled at a public forum Monday over how best to address intolerance at the University of California, with some Jewish groups arguing the schools should adopt a policy with a more precise definition of anti-Semitism and others saying it would stifle free speech. A working group of regents and university leaders invited input as it works to revise a proposed policy denouncing intolerance, which Jewish organizations criticized in September as not going far enough to deter what they describe as a spike in anti-Semitism on UC’s 10 campuses.,, David and other Jewish groups pressed university leaders to adopt the U.S. State Department’s definition of anti-Semitism, which includes denying Israel’s right to exist and blaming it for all interreligious or political tensions.

Unfortunately this sounds like a case of “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” in terms of bubble-wrapping our college students. Barring speech which is unpopular among liberals, be it pro-life meetings, groups supporting the Second Amendment or support for the military is the most common and popular sentiment among progressive campus groups and administrators, but now the focus has turned to the other side of the aisle. Adopting a university policy which declares criticism of Israel (up to and including Iranian style claims that the nation has no right to exist or protesting the treatment of Palestinians) to be “hate speech” which could see students expelled from the school would certainly hit liberals as opposed to conservatives, but is that any better than kicking the ROTC off campus?

Obviously there are lines which can not and should not be crossed. There should be no tolerance for defacing property or threatening displays of destruction on either side, whether it’s burning a cross on the lawn of a primarily black fraternity or painting swastikas on the walls of a Jewish one. (We’ll leave aside for today the hard core libertarian argument that laws against such behavior constitute “hate crimes” and are actually cases of vandalism and arson.) Destroying property and making clear threats of violence – no matter the excuse behind it – should be within the school’s authority in terms of banning certain behaviors.

We also see far too many instances where college students use these rules as an excuse to perpetrate fake “hate crimes” to gin up attention and go against those with whom they disagree. Nooses have been hung from trees by anti-racism activists and other random decorations have been mistaken for nooses and thrust into the national media. But that washes over to the other side of the aisle when a Jewish student similarly hangs a swastika in the dorm and then complains that the university isn’t doing enough to protect them.

Such displays of oppressive symbols, both real and disingenuously staged, need to be shut down, but in today’s story we’re talking about speech. Unpopular though it may be, when these students graduate they will encounter people out in the real world who oppose virtually anything that Israel does. And yes, some of those people will also be actual anti-Semites. But if they are simply expressing their unpopular opinions and not committing assaults or destruction of property, that’s all just part of the great debate. The discussion should be as civil as can be managed, but you don’t shut it down simply because you agree with one side or the other.

Bubble wrapping the students at American universities shouldn’t be an accepted practice no matter which side is offended. When we tolerate it we are letting an entire generation of students down and failing to prepare them for the real world.