The Most Profound Loss on Campus Isn’t Free Speech. It’s Listening

Listening stopped a long, long time ago. If it ever happened at all.

Most of the fist-shaking about "free speech" isn't about speech. It's about forcing people to listen -- by people who are intent on not listening themselves. And if anything has caused people to stop listening, it's the fact that there has been a conspicuous effort to waste their time with unpleasant and unproductive "free speech".

I've been hearing for decades that "we just need to listen". I believe that I have been listening, and during that time what I hear has gotten worse and worse. I don't believe it's possible for me to listen harder, or better, or whatever.

"More listening" isn't something that only one side of a conversation can achieve. That notion is easily weaponized: "You have to listen, while I talk." This is a very, very old way of excusing a lack of listening.