I hate what that man is saying (could be a woman… especially if its a woman) but would defend with my life (!!!) his/her/their right to say it.

That’s what… errrr… Winston Churchill said. Possibly George Bernard Shaw… Emily Pankhurst… Groucho Marx… someone said it. And I agree. I agree totally with everyone’s ‘first amendment rights’, especially my own. Even though in the UK we don’t have a constitution to amend.

But when people say things you don’t like, you are mildly conflicted between the ‘freedom of speech’ thing and the ‘he’s a total scumbag tosser’ kind’a thing. Should these people be allowed to spout opinions which are contradictory to your own? Of course they are. Even if offensive? Hmmmmm. Inflamatory? What about when that freedom of expression (protests, sit-ins, rallies) ostracises completely a section of society, a minority class, to the point of persecution?

Donald Trump, everyone’s favourite presidential chaos machine, is having words with Harvard, possibly the greatest (once, at least) university in the whole of America. Certainly the only one everyone’s heard of. And Harvard, unsurprisingly, like Zelensky, like the UK, like China, appears to be coming off second best in their discussion.

Trump is demanding that they stop the antisemitism they encourage by pro-Palestinian activity which rapidly rendered half the campus a no-go zone for any Israeli or Jew. Harvard is defending its right to ‘freedom of expression’ for all students. Encouraging bilateral political debate. Even if one half of the debate are completely wrong, totally moronic and are supporting terrorism, whilst not knowing the River, the Sea, or where to find their own navels.

We all agree that Trump is correct in this. Ok, I agree that Trump is correct in this. But then, being Trump, he takes it further. No more Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy for hiring staff. No more ‘quotas’, no more ‘box-ticking’ in that, “well this person can barely read joined up but we’ll give ‘them’ the post of associate professor because ‘they’ are bisexual, non-binary, multi-racial with multi-disabilities, mostly mental, and we haven’t got one of them”.

Furthermore, being Trump, he’s backing it up with removal of grants and tax exemptions which add up to over $2billion a year for Harvard.

What do I think? I know you’re dying to know. Well, if they’re so fucking clever at Harvard, how did they ever get tied up in all that ridiculous woke-shit in the first place? Which, as a direct consequence and extrapolation thereof, allowed freedom of speech to become an encampment spouting antisemitic nonsense.

Keep their money, Don. Freedom of speech only applies to those who agree with you. Don’t have to tell you that.

Happy Wednesday

A xxxx