BREAKING: Massey University – a censor campus too spineless for free speech
What a cowardly response from a University that has gained a reputation after the Don Brash fiasco for censorship – totally spineless!
Response to ‘Feminism 2020’ event
16 October 2019
Massey University has advised Speak Up For Women to find an alternative venue for its Feminism 2020 event. The University has received external advice on its health, safety and wellbeing obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, and its duty of care to the University community, and has made the decision on these grounds.
The legal advice we have received is that cancellation of the event, as concluded by the report, is the only way to eliminate the risk to health and safety and to ensure that the University would not be in breach of its health and safety obligations.
Massey University are refusing to front on their decision to ban a feminism conference and explain exactly where the health & safety issues were – to make the decision is gutless, to not front is intellectual pusillanimity – this censorship of free speech at a University is fascist!
Massey University is committed to the values of academic freedom, the freedom of speech, and the freedom of expression, as values that lie at the very heart of the tradition of a university and academic inquiry. However, this event has created significant disruption to our students, staff and University operations, and we cannot accept any further risk or issues, or any risk of potential harm that may impact upon a particularly vulnerable community.
NO YOU ARE NOT COMMITTED TO THE VALUES OF ACADEMIC FREEDOM! A University IS THE VERY PLACE this feminism debate should be had! What health and safety issue at stake? Who is being threatened? Are the protestors threatening violence or will staff and students be ‘triggered’ is they hear ideas they don’t agree with???
A University- a bloody University! is banning a discussion on gender critical feminism because other factions feel triggered by that debate should be a day of intellectual embarrassment for NZ!
This is a BBQ short of a book burning!
Again, I don’t agree with everything these gender critical feminists have to say on the issue of interactionist trans gender inclusion, in fact I disagree with some elements of what they are debating, but sweet Jesus they deserve to have the space at a bloody University of all places to be able to hold the debate!
Massey do not deserve to be considered a University!
The woke lynch mob look exactly like the old lynch mob.
The revolution always eats its own. Anyone who is part of the sensible Left should get out while they can, the Left has become an authoritarian cult.
Seriously, Massey is no hot bed of the ‘Left’. If you think that then you clearly haven’t spent any time there* in the last 10 years, or engaged with very many students, visited the campus, or kept an eye on their professors.
This Wokeness is very firmly positioned in The Centre, The ‘sensible’ centre.
*or any other Campus for that matter. Its not the 70’s..your average student is well supported by Mummy and Daddy and their Trust fund, or a foreign student desperatly keeping their grades high enough to warrant their fees. Or just your average kiwi wondering what the heck they are going to do with their degree to justify the student loan
idk everything but here are some answers to questions you have. the health and safety concerns that some trans people are worried are that the spread of hate speech and demonization of trans people, women especially, could lead to physicological or physical violence by radicals after the event. It was also possible that trans people were going to protest the event, which because of the previous and continuing online conflict, seems likely to lead to verbal abuse from SUFW that could escalate to physical. Having an anti-trans group who have previously swayed things such as the BDMRR bill and caused psychological harm to trans people allowed on campus does make those same people emotional and stressed. And while you may have had an emotion before, you present as a cis white able man, and so cannot really talk about the psychological effects discrimination and hate speech have on an individual level. Massey is not ‘censoring free speech’, they are not saying the event cannot go on, they are asking SUFW get another venue in order to hopefully avoid abuse on the day, and not give a platform for hate speech at a university, which should be caring for its students and promoting progessive and inclusive ideas. I fail to see how you think it could be more important to hold a ‘debate’ than to listen to the hurt of a minority group for whom mental health and violence takes an enormous toll on. again, idk everything. have a look at the recent Counting Ourselves study findings.
E: I’ve read your comment carefully, as I always do when I’m intending to reply to somebody. It’s just a bit of a struggle figuring out what your problem is with the SUFW group organising an event on campus. However: I’ll do my best.
“….spread of hate speech….”
What is hate speech? I’ve asked and asked, but nobody has provided me with examples. So: given that you also raise the issue, I ask you to tell me what it is, with examples provided.
“Having an anti-trans group who have previously swayed things such as the BDMRR bill and caused psychological harm to trans people allowed on campus does make those same people emotional and stressed.”
I’m not seeing the problem here. Being emotional and stressed is scarcely a health and safety issue. As I recall from my uni days, exams can frequently do that to people. As well as overdue assignments….
If you disagree with SUFW’s views, surely the grown-up thing to do is to present a countervailing argument. Trying to shut them up – and down – is the equivalent of children sticking their fingers in their ears and shouting, la la la, not listening! I’d have thought that your sector of society had more maturity.
“And while you may have had an emotion before, you present as a cis white able man, and so cannot really talk about the psychological effects discrimination and hate speech have on an individual level.”
Absolute nonsense. You know nothing about the exigencies of Martyn’s life; in virtue of what could you make such a claim? And the ubiquitous hate speech assertion; yet again…. Martyn has as much right to have an opinion on this issue as has anybody else.
“Massey is not ‘censoring free speech’…”
Oh yes indeed it is. This is the university caving in to the cancel culture. It is an unedifying spectacle; an undignified and cowardly response by a bunch of academics who ought to know better.
“I fail to see how you think it could be more important to hold a ‘debate’ than to listen to the hurt of a minority group for whom mental health and violence takes an enormous toll on.”
Oh good grief….words fail me. Since when did the hurt, mental health and whatever of a group trump the rights of everybody else to express any opinions without censorship or restraint? How does that even work in any half-decent free society? Free speech, remember: not freedom to bash people up: we have laws preventing that.
It seems to me that those who’ve managed to bully the university into cancelling this event need to grow a carapace of courage and (verbally) defend their corner. Such as it is.
idk everything but here are some answers to questions you have. the health and safety concerns that some trans people are worried are that the spread of hate speech and demonization of trans people, women especially, could lead to physicological or physical violence by radicals after the event. It was also possible that trans people were going to protest the event, which because of the previous and continuing online conflict, seems likely to lead to verbal abuse from SUFW that could escalate to physical. Having an anti-trans group who have previously swayed things such as the BDMRR bill and caused psychological harm to trans people allowed on campus does make those same people emotional and stressed. And while you may have had an emotion before, you present as a cis white able man, and so cannot really talk about the psychological effects discrimination and hate speech have on an individual level. Massey is not ‘censoring free speech’, they are not saying the event cannot go on, they are asking SUFW get another venue in order to hopefully avoid abuse on the day, and not give a platform for hate speech at a university, which should be caring for its students and promoting progessive and inclusive ideas. I fail to see how you think it could be more important to hold a ‘debate’ than to listen to the hurt of a minority group for whom mental health and violence takes an enormous toll on. again, idk everything. have a look at the recent Counting Ourselves study findings.
My principle is “if you believe in science then by default you will be on the winning side of any debate.”
I wouldn’t invite a bunch of feminists to my place of business either, that’s a nightmare. I don’t think it’s a free speech issue, that’s a legitimate health and safety issue with so many mentally ill people present.
Ben – If there are so many mentally ill people present in your workplace, how about getting some help for them ?
The daily papers list help line telephone numbers, as do the front pages of the phone book.
reactionary as hell. stop calling yourself left