EDITORIAL | Ann Coulter was shut down, and so was America

Last Wednesday was a dark day for Cornell University. After a legitimate invitation from a registered student organization and extensive planning by both Cornell officials and student officers, the months of work resulted in a mere 20-minutes peppered with heckling, circus music, and other sounds. Before Ms. Coulter could even deliver her opening statement, hecklers rose from the crowd to disrupt the event.

Clearly, the malcontents did not get the message delivered by the university’s Associate Dean of Students Greta Kenney. Before Coulter began her remarks, those in attendance were sternly warned that any attempt to disrupt the event would result in referral for punishment. Though, “disruption” does not quite capture the debauchery of Wednesday night. Coulter, unable to speak for more than fifteen seconds without another chain of protestors attempting to silence her, ended the event before it could even begin.

While a simple disruption—like chanting—would have been annoying, the hecklers chose a far more damaging method to shut Ms. Coulter down. Instead of disrupting in a manner conducive to mass removal, such as all protesting at once, the disruptions were staggered so as to never allow a minute of uninterrupted speech. The content of the protests was likewise devious. Only one of the many interruptions included substantial concerns about Coulter herself. Otherwise, the hecklers used clown music, imitations of flatulence, and shouting to drown her out.

The troublemakers in question should be ashamed of themselves. While shouting that Coulter’s “speech is violence,” they assault the very basis upon which the nation stands. Free speech only works when we all recognize each others’ right to say what we wish. If someone disagrees with Ann Coulter, the place to express that disagreement is in Q&A (which Coulter announced would be longer than normal due to her lack of prepared remarks), protesting in the designated location in the law school courtyard, writing a column ripping her arguments apart, or inviting a speaker to oppose her perspectives.

The very foundational principles of America were assaulted last Wednesday night, and the mob emerged victorious. It was a graceless display of power. Power over the university, power over campus discourse, and ultimately power over the existence of free speech. Luckily, Cornell’s administration appears to be fed up.

The morning following Coulter’s prematurely-concluded remarks, Vice President for University Relations Joel Malina released a statement promising consequences for the disruptors.

Attendees were apprised at the beginning of the event that anyone preventing another’s ability to speak or be heard would be in violation of university policy and subject to removal and/or referral to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards.

The event was interrupted by attendees playing loud music and sound effects, and shouting profanities. Eight college-age individuals were removed from the auditorium following Cornell protocols. All Cornell students among the disrupters will be referred for conduct violations.

We at the Cornell Review hope there will be consequences for silencing free speech. As a campus news organization, we can only function—and bring news to our readers—because of this sacred protection. By allowing the mob to become censors, there is no guarantee that heterodox opinions will survive on this campus. The mob is now emboldened, and its tactics were proven to be successful. Wednesday night, the forces of illiberalism won a resounding victory. What happens next? Will the mob be content with kicking Ann Coulter from public display, or will they go in search of more dissenting opinions to crush underfoot?

And yet, the issue goes so much farther beyond Ann Coulter, the Review, or even Cornell University. This is a fundamental attack on what it means to be American. You have the right to speak and be heard. You do not have the right to stifle speech you disagree with, no matter how abhorrent you believe it is. The promise of this nation—the greatest in the history of the world—is simple: you get to say what you want without the threat of being shut down. If what you say is convincing, people will believe you. Otherwise, they will not. The university is supposed to be the ultimate marketplace of ideas, the quintessential place to put yourself to the test. At Cornell, we have two options: allow the mob to run roughshod over the most cherished of our freedoms or demand that free speech returns to the core of this university.

Correction: An earlier version misstated the office of Associate Dean of Students Greta Kenney.