Speech is Violence | Dartmouth College
In this video, participants analyze the claim “Speech is violence." More voices than usual are included because the audience was invited to ask questions. Many angles on the claim are considered, including the definition of “violence,” if speech used to incite violence is violence, and whether a speaker is responsible for a stress response in a listener.
In an unusual turn, Peter gave his facilitator microphone to a student, stood on a line on the Likert scale, and participated in the epistemological exercise. We hear Peter’s perspective on the claim and what it would take to change his mind. Thanks to the student who did a great job facilitating that part of the conversation.
This discussion took place at Dartmouth College on May 4, 2022.
It was interesting that no one brought up that invididual humans are in control of their own respective actions and emotional responses to speech. It felt like a gaping hole in the dialogue. It would seem to me to be one of the very few things we actually can control in life.
Great stuff. Keep it coming.
To me, it's always seemed a given that speech, much like almost any other tool, can be utilized for positive or negative effect, but it's objectively one of, if not the utmost important of our tools in our collective kits. Some ideologues, however, seem to hold that it's a given that it can also be weaponized as direct violence, and this conflation seems supremely counterintuitive, given that by our very societal structure, our first amendment is . . . y'know . . . the first.
edit: Sorry, forgot to mention? You're important, and what you're doing is important, so please, stay the course.