From the Right: Censorship: the privilege of being a social justice activist
Published: Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Updated: Wednesday, February 13, 2013 15:02
Postscript: Facing unrelenting pressure from the university’s “social justice community,” the Twitter account at the center of this controversy seems to have been deleted by its creator. The two imitation accounts are rumored to be following suit. Our campus’s tawdry censor librorum has won this round. The author of this column is still awaiting his nihil obstat.
Editors note: A new account, @UNHDICK, has sprung up since publication time.
Nick Mignanelli is a senior political science major and TNH’s resident conservative contrarian. He is the communications director of the NH College Republicans. Follow him on Twitter @nickmignanelli.
10 comments
Media observer
Two things: It's The New Hampshire or TNH, but never The TNH. And Nick still has a column because it's probably the most trafficked thing on the site. I wish he and the editors tried harder to make it more pithy and factual but, nonetheless, he gets a noticeable reaction and is apparently reliable to produce content, so he stays in.
Jimminy
Ummm....Everyone has the right to disagree,and to say so.First Amendment 101.Second Amendment 101 says if the soi-disant aggrieved try to get the government to shut someone else up who disagrees with them,there'll be trouble.
Anonymous
Two things: First, how in the world does Nick Mignanelli still have a column the TNH? Doesn't anyone get tired of his ramblings? Second, "rape culture" is the most nebulous and meaningless term on campus. No two people will ever define it the same and it's the UNH equivalent of "The Hitler argument," aka, you can't be against this, what are you Hitler? One mention of "rape culture" and the other side is expected to lose all legitimacy and cede to sensitivity and some warped version of hyper political correctness. Instead of saying "rape culture" how about you actually just ignore this idiot on Twitter. If no one had paid attention to them no one would care. In fact I'd put 10 dollars on no body caring in 2 months anyway, we'll have moved on to our new outrage du jour.
Rob
As a black man who often speaks out against injustice. I lament the running narrative of anti woman and anti oppressed narrative. One of my strengths is that I am very self aware. An example of this strength is in my attendance at a Jackson Kats rally and the Womens study graduation. I attended these things because I am aware that over 90% of crimes against women are committed by men. A a man I am self aware enough to know that I have allot of power to speak and be a voice about injustice. This is a university that boasts black women who studied as far away as California and get paid a handsome sum to enlighten us on these topics so that we can be aware of ourselves as men in a male dominated culture. yes I am talking about women of color with PHD's here on the seacoast. The graduation I went to was dominated by women however I went as the student body president at this university because I understand how important it is to support all people who can be made to feel unsafe emotionally physically or spiritually not just at night or in church but inside. I truly believe in free speech however I rarely speak out just on my own behalf. so I would like to thank you nick for drawing attention to this issue in such a way.
Anonymous
I hear this kind of confused opinion from many conservatives, so allow me to clarify the difference between censorship and activism. The First Amendment protects most (not all) speech from government prohibition. "This is called censorship, and it is un-American. The First Amendment does not protect speech from public scorn, rebuke, or criticism. This is called activism, and it is very American.
Look, I don't know what was posted by the Twitter account and I really don't care. I may have thought it was funny myself, and I may have thought that those who had a "tantrum" about it were overreacting. Not having seen it, I can't say."They can attack it all they want, they can disagree, they can criticize, and they can scorn it. This issue is that they went to the police (part of the government in case you didn't know) to shut it down and that is where the censorship comes into play.
Look, I don't know what was posted by the Twitter account and I really don't care. I may have thought it was funny myself, and I may have thought that those who had a "tantrum" about it were overreacting. Not having seen it, I can't say."They can attack it all they want, they can disagree, they can criticize, and they can scorn it. This issue is that they went to the police (part of the government in case you didn't know) to shut it down and that is where the censorship comes into play.
Kenna
I do not advocate for censorship but I do advocate for a safe environment. What does it say to the new class of UNH students when our community supports a twitter that promotes rape culture. I suggest that you should look into rape culture and then decide if you feel the twitter handle should be kept up for more to see. I know survivors of assault and this twitter is what you might understand as a trigger for those who have experienced something that you have not. You are privileged, and yes I say privileged without quotations because it is a real concept, to not have experienced this kind of ordeal as am I. However just because I have not experienced it does not mean that I will go around denying that this twitter doesn't support a culture that blames the victim and perpetuates sexist and objectifying "jokes". If a twitter handle has the right to objectify women then why don't we as "social justice activists" as you call us have a right to demand that we don't want our university to be put in this light. If we as a community ignore this twitter and simply allow it to be seen as a "joke" then we are perpetuating rape culture and telling survivors on campus that this kind of language and joking is okay. And if you would like to discuss "spin off twitters" then I believe you should look into the newest I_Didnt_Want_D and have a discussion with the young female student who is sharing her story. Then you can tell her how you believe that we shouldn't censor what is causing her so much pain.
Joan
It must be nice to be of a privileged status to be able to comment on this situation and refer to privilege as "privilege", as if to mock the situation and merely chalk this up to overreacting and an issue with censorship. When an account like this is associated with UNH, I find myself wishing I had attended a different liberal arts college, because as a female being associated with something that condones rape culture disgusts me. Whether or not you believe in rape culture is irrelevant, because one of the tweets associated with this account was to the effect of, if she's underage, she wants the D. I'm sorry, but by standard defintions of statutory rape, that's pretty much what that tweet is implying.
People are entitled to have their own sense of humor, but when these tweets are genuinely affecting a population in a negative light, you better believe that I find this account deeply troubling. Something as simple as standing alone outside of a building is considered "wanting the d" by this twitter...Last time I checked, when I stand alone somewhere I'm pretty sure the last thing on my mind is "wanting the d".
This is not an issue of censorship, this is not an issue of violating free speech, this is an issue of condoning a culture under which women are objectified and assumed to all be "wanting the d". The fact that this opinion column mocks people for standing up and questioning the morality of this account makes me question the people in charge of TNH, also considering the other article written about this situation pulled names and comments from Facebook without consent of the people who posted these comments. Perhaps editors at TNH and opinion column writers should consider taking a course that appropriately explains rape culture, and other courses on how to properly recieve consent from people before you publish their name and comments in a public paper.
People are entitled to have their own sense of humor, but when these tweets are genuinely affecting a population in a negative light, you better believe that I find this account deeply troubling. Something as simple as standing alone outside of a building is considered "wanting the d" by this twitter...Last time I checked, when I stand alone somewhere I'm pretty sure the last thing on my mind is "wanting the d".
This is not an issue of censorship, this is not an issue of violating free speech, this is an issue of condoning a culture under which women are objectified and assumed to all be "wanting the d". The fact that this opinion column mocks people for standing up and questioning the morality of this account makes me question the people in charge of TNH, also considering the other article written about this situation pulled names and comments from Facebook without consent of the people who posted these comments. Perhaps editors at TNH and opinion column writers should consider taking a course that appropriately explains rape culture, and other courses on how to properly recieve consent from people before you publish their name and comments in a public paper.
Anonymous
But why no commentary about the @unh_v account? Same content, different gender driving the discussion. Yet there's been ZERO discussion about it. Can someone explain that?
Anonymous
I hear this kind of confused opinion from many conservatives, so allow me to clarify the difference between censorship and activism. The First Amendment protects most (not all) speech from government prohibition. This is called censorship, and it is un-American. The First Amendment does not protect speech from public scorn, rebuke, or criticism. This is called activism, and it is very American.Look, I don't know what was posted by the Twitter account and I really don't care. I may have thought it was funny myself, and I may have thought that those who had a "tantrum" about it were overreacting. Not having seen it, I can't say. What I can't stand, however, is the persistent conflation by some people of private action and government censorship. This is the same misguided argument I heard over and over during the "Chik-fil-A" controversy. If UNH were to step in and discipline this student for his or he speech, that would be censorship and it would be wrong. Private individuals throwing a "tantrum" to persuade a private company to disable a privately owned means of offensive speech is totally within their rights as Americans. You have the right to say what you want, and I have the right to criticize you, and even punish you for it within the confines of the free market. When people or businesses say offensive things, they often lose their jobs, their customers, or other privileges. This is not censorship, and there is nothing wrong with this kind of action.In short, it's fine with me if you want to accuse this "social justice community" of being thin-skinned, reactionary, or misguided. Just don't accuse them of censorship.
Sylvia
The unh_d twitter account goes a bit beyond the bounds of simple free speech. We live in a rape culture, among pervasive stereotypes, rape jokes, and misinformation ("legitimate rape", anyone?). And it is this culture that perpetuates rape, even at the hands of people who, themselves, would never rape someone. Studies show that male rapists believe that all other males engage, or want to engage, in the same behavior. So when they hear a rape joke (or see a humorless twitter account) that appears to confirm their bias, they are encouraged and continue to believe that their behavior is okay. I'll be the first to admit that this kind of speech would probably be supported under the First Amendment. But just because it's legal to say something, doesn't mean that it isn't entirely distasteful and harmful. As a female UNH student, I'd like to feel safe on this campus. Beyond the issue of the perpetuation of rape culture, I am worried about the transgression of lines of consent--a more grey, but equally important, area. It is vital to receive clear, enthusiastic consent from all parties before engaging in any kind of sexual behavior. The unh_d account presupposes consent, taking that voice away from the female in question. If you think drunkenness, short skirts, friendliness, walking across A Lot at midnight, or anything other than clear, verbal consent is consent, you are wrong. No, I don't believe that any of the concerned students or groups on this campus is going to be able to shut down this account. But I find it encouraging that they want to. And I hope that, during the controversy that surrounds this issue, more people are swayed to think critically about the power that words have to influence the safety of every student on this campus.
is a member of the 
