Can Free Speech Stop Free Speech?

Students on campuses across America are taking bold steps to support the Black Lives Matters movement. Some of the rhetoric has gotten extreme, leading some to claim that it is stifling the full range of opinions regarding the racial climate on campuses and in the nation. The Los Angeles Times reports.

Questions...

•Is there ever a limit to free speech or free expression? What are some examples where absolute free speech or free expression is properly limited?

•How do you feel about "time, place and manner" restriction? (this concept will be explained)

•When does free speech become so intimidating that it shuts off other free speech?

•Should a controversial speaker expect respectful silence? Do opponents have a right to shout the speaker down?

Too Soon?

Comedians will tell you that disasters aren't funny right after they happen, but eventually they can joke about even the most awful things. Entertainment and sporting events are sometimes rescheduled after an awful event. The following Los Angeles Times story discusses this uneasy intersection between tragic news events and entertainment in light of the recent events in Paris.

Questions...

•Are there any disasters so horrible that they should not be turned into movies or TV episodes? How long should we wait before turning tragedy into entertainment?

•When should entertainment TV shows and sports events be suspended? (this happened after John F. Kennedy's assassination)

•How do movies, TV shows and other entertainment help us make sense of the world?

•What responsibilities do movies or TV shows about historic events or recent tragedies have to be authentic?

Point. Click. Breathe.

Your Humble Blogger is thinking of the famous graphic that traces the stages of human evolution, from the hunched-over caveman to the fully erect beings of today. Maybe future humans will return to being bent over, and will have a flat face to make it easier to look at a screen.

Common Sense Media has released a survey of teenagers and screen use, and the results make YHB wonder if he should recreate Mass Comm 101 as a smartphone app. NPR reports.

Questions...

•Do these results surprise you? Why?

•Do you have a social media account because you want it, or because you need it?

•Why do girls spend more time on social media than boys? Theories?

•Do you have a strategy for minimizing your online distractions when you study?