Conservative journalist Ben Shapiro was set to speak at the radically liberal University of Berkeley on Thursday where police would be present to deal with any violence from rioters. And since Berkeley was rapidly becoming anathema to free speech, Shapiro appeared on S.E. Cupp Unfiltered on Monday where he and the host raked Berkeley over the coals for being so ridiculous.
“University of California Berkeley once prided itself as being the birth place of the free speech movement. But over the last several years it's increasingly abandoning that legacy in favor of trigger warnings and safe spaces,” quipped Cupp as she introduced the segment.
In reading from a statement released by the university provost, Cupp demonstrated just how out of touch the liberal university was:
In a memo posted to the university's website, Berkeley Provost Paul Alivisatos wrote without any irony: ‘We are deeply concerned about the impacts some speakers may have on individual sense of safety and belonging. No one should be made to feel threatened or harassed simply because of who they are or what they believe.’ Except Ben Shapiro apparently.
“Counselling services are also being made available to students and faculty members who are upset by Shapiro’s speech. That is not sarcasm, that is truth. That's actually happening,” Cupp exclaimed in frustration as she introduced Shapiro to her viewers. “Ben just so you know we set up a closed perimeter around CNN in case people feel threatened by your interview here tonight.”
According to Shapiro, the radical PC culture on college campuses had only accelerated since Trump was elected president. “I think that over the last two years it's gotten worse generally even before Trump was nominated,” he explained. “I mean, there was nearly a riot when I spoke at Cal State Los Angeles in February of 2016. But I think it has accelerated since Trump was elected.”
He defended the majority of Berkeley students and placed the blame for the violence on the radical leftist group known as Antifa. He described the collective as a “terror group that engages in political violence” and chastised the city for “largely [being] willing to go along with that.”
“Honestly, if you need counselors for me speaking you need psychiatric care anyway,” he mocked the triggered students at one point.
Towards the end of the segment, Cupp asked Shapiro about “what lesson do you think a student learns about a world when he’s told he can only speak freely in a free speech zone on a college campus?” He put the joking aside and got serious, tell her that:
I think it creates, obviously, a generation of people who are very delicate. And I'm not the only one who says this. Jonathan Haidt, who’s a social psychologist over at New York University, says the same thing about the microaggression culture.
This idea if you're offended then you have a right to be protected from offense. This creates a generation of unhealthy people who are actually looking to be offended because there's a virtue of victimhood. This is scary stuff.
It will be interesting to see if Berkeley keeps its promise to protect Ben Shapiro’s right to free speech or if they’ll let a liberal “terror group” win the day. It will also be interesting to see how the liberal media would cover the latter if it occurs.
Transcript below:
HLN
S.E. Cupp Unfiltered
September 11, 2017
7:26:34 PM EasternS.E. CUPP: University of California Berkeley once prided itself as being the birth place of the free speech movement. But over the last several years it's increasingly abandoning that legacy in favor of trigger warnings and safe spaces.
Today conservative radio host Ben Shapiro finds himself in the cross-hairs of the campus outrage machine as he prepares to deliver a speech on Thursday at the invitation of Berkeley’s College Republicans. The L.A. Times reports that an increased and highly visible police presence will be on hand for Shapiro’s speech as well as a closed perimeter around the building where the speech will be delivered.
In a memo posted to the university's website Berkeley Provost Paul Alivisatos wrote without any irony: “We are deeply concerned about the impacts some speakers may have on individual sense of safety and belonging. No one should be made to feel threatened or harassed simply because of who they are or what they believe.” Except Ben Shapiro apparently.
Counselling services are also being made available to students and faculty members who are upset by Shapiro’s speech. That is not sarcasm, that is truth. That's actually happening. Joining us now is Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Wire Ben Shapiro. Ben just so you know we set up a closed perimeter around CNN in case people feel threatened by your interview here tonight.
BEN SHAPIRO: I'm excited. I’ve been working out and I’ll just tell ya, I’m a physically intimidating person.
[Laughter]
CUPP: So this isn't your first go at one of these. Do you think that your reception at college campuses has gotten worse since Trump though?
SHAPIRO: Yes. I think that over the last two years it's gotten worse generally even before Trump was nominated. I mean, there was nearly a riot when I spoke at Cal State Los Angeles in February of 2016. But I think it has accelerated since Trump was elected.
I think that Antifa particularly has gotten very active. I don’t want to blame all the students at Berkeley for all of this, because I don’t think it’s most of the students at Berkeley. I think it’s Antifa which is an outside, essentially terror group that engages in political violence and the city has largely been willing to go along with that. This is the first time the city of Berkeley is supposedly going to stand up to it. We'll see if they fulfill their promises.
CUPP: Why are people so afraid of you?
SHAPIRO: I don't know. I seem like a nice guy. I assume that it’s because I'm conservative and because I say somethings things that people find offensive. But I don't consider myself a provocateur. I’m not someone that goes on campus and just says things to get a rise out of people. I go and try to make logical cases for the positions that I support and if people get ticked off at it, it’s really their problem.
I think it has less to do with me though than it has to do with this new found perception on the left if you're someone who disagrees, then you are insulting their very indemnity.
It’s this intersectional theory that say that: If I say something you don't like and you happen to be black, it's because you're black that you don’t like it. Therefore, I’m insulting you because you’re black even though that makes no sense at all.
And unfortunately, I think that's what you're seeing from Berkeley when they say they will have counselors on hand for this sort of thing. Honestly if you need counselors for me speaking you need psychiatric care anyway.
CUPP: I’m not trying to belittle this, but it’s ridiculous.
(…)
7:32:06 PM Eastern
CUPP: Ben I know you've written a lot about the irony of liberal institutions curbing speech. So have I. What lesson do you think a student learns about a world when he’s told he can only speak freely in a free speech zone on a college campus?
SHAPIRO: I think it creates, obviously, a generation of people who are very delicate. And I'm not the only one who says this. Jonathan Haidt, who’s a social psychologist over at New York University, says the same thing about the microaggression culture.
This idea if you're offended then you have a right to be protected from offense. This creates a generation of unhealthy people who are actually look to be offended because there's a virtue of victimhood. This is scary stuff.
(…)
ANDY LEVY: It's even worse than that. Because apparently, what's going on here is Ben is terrifying people who are not even going to go hear him speak. So they are not even hearing what he's saying but somehow he's terrifying them. Someone has to explain the world to me because that makes no sense.
(…)
