Professor Censors, Insults Student During Speech

I wish I knew what went through the minds of far-left liberals just before they opened their mouths to speak. You will too after hearing about the Los Angeles City College professor who called his student a “fascist bastard” during the students’ speech on marriage.

 

In a story reported by Citizenlink, and on the website freerepublic.com, the Alliance Defense Fund is suing the Los Angeles School for censorship and threatening to expel a student after Professor John Matteson abruptly ended the speech of student Jonathan Lopez for sharing his views on marriage and faith.

 

But that’s not all, according to the article,

 

“Instead of allowing Lopez to finish, Matteson told the other students they could leave if they were offended. When no one left, Matteson dismissed the class. Refusing to grade the assigned speech, Matteson wrote on Lopez’s evaluation, ‘Ask God what your grade is.’”

 

I won’t even pretend to hide my disgust and disdain for such atrocious behavior. This is a man who is supposed to be an adult, an example of what it means to foster free speech in what is supposed to be the marketplace of ideas, our college campuses. But instead he retrieved to name calling, and childish insults.

 

Now, had that been a Muslim student sharing, no such incident would have occurred. And had the student shared views that the Professor agreed with, no such incident would have occurred. But because Jonathan Lopez shared his own personal views during an assignment which afforded him the freedom to do so, he was called names, insulted, and later threatened with expulsion. As the article reports,

 

“One week later, after seeing Lopez talking to the college’s dean of academic affairs, Matteson told Lopez that  he would make sure he’d be expelled from school.”

 

At what point does the free exchange of ideas cease to exist? Where does the ability to have independent, personal thoughts and views end? And when does it become right for anyone, let alone a teacher in a classroom, to penalize and discriminate against a person just because his or her ideas are different?

 

ADF Senior Counsel David French said correctly,

 

“Public institutions of higher learning cannot selectively censor Christian speech. This student was speaking well within the confines of his professor’s assignment when he was censored and ultimately threatened with expulsion. Professor Matteson clearly violated Mr. Lopez’s free speech rights by engaging in viewpoint discrimination and retaliation because he disagreed with the student’s religious beliefs.”

 

I would encourage Los Angeles City College President Jamillah Moore to remove Professor Matteson from her faculty. Such people have no place in a room with students. Students do not need to wonder if it is ok to speak their mind, or if they will be targeted by Professor Matteson the way Jonathan Lopez was. College classrooms need to be a place where everyone has the right to share their views, and feel comfortable doing so. Obviously Professor Matteson has not cultivated such a classroom.

 

Further Food for Thought:

Is Religious Worship on Campuses in Danger?

 

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