Blatchford and free speech, a continuation
Christie Blatchford spoke, unhindered, at the University of Waterloo tonight.
You already know I bought the book. Well, I read the book, and the talk was basically a summarized version. But I'm not going to say here what I thought of either. I started following Blatchford because her right to free speech was hindered, not because of what in particular she says. I don't want my opinion of the particular things she says to be conflated with my pro-free-speech stance in general. So I'll keep that out of here.
But even so, I have plenty to say.
Interestingly, it was the most security I've seen at a UW event, ever. There were at least a dozen Waterloo Regional police there, and that's just the police. There were Bomber bouncers, Conestoga College Security Guard majors, volunteers, the works. Bud Walker and I were comparing the security at this Blatchford talk to the security when now-Governor-General David Johnston returned to Campus. Bud said there were more guards at the Blatchford event, and I agree with him. But I responded that Johnston was surrounded by suits with lapel pins, and those should count as more than one guy.
I've never been patted down for a UW talk, either. Usually I'm carrying at least one utility knife, but wisely I left those at home today.
Dean of Arts Ken Coates did the introduction. Feridun Hamdullahpur himself didn't speak, but was spotted in the audience. I found Coates' introduction interesting, because it seemed geared towards countering all the anti-free-speech bad press UW got.
"A quick observation. If you'll recall, this is Christie Blatchford's second visit to the University of Waterloo. The first one was, uh, incomplete. She is an invited guest of the University of Waterloo, and has been invited here specifically to discuss her book. We welcome everybody here who has come to listen to what she has to say; we will not and we can not support anybody who is here to suppress her rights to speak, or our rights to hear what she has to say. In fact it is the essence of the university to listen to ideas, controversial or otherwise. It is also be very important that those ideas be challenged and questioned, we will accept answers, even difficult answers, throughout the question and answer period. We cannot and will not allow anyone to silence a speaker here, at the University of Waterloo."
Christie Blatchford speaking at the University of Waterloo. Note the absence of bike-locked protesters. Note also that she is actually speaking. Tuesday, December 7, 2010.
Blatchford started her talk by thanking Ken Coates for the introduction, thanking the attendees, and thanking the police, which got chuckles from the audience. Humourously, she ended her opening statement with, "And of course thanks to the alleged doctoral student Dan Kellar for all he's done to help sell my book." I'd object, but it's apt.
Let's talk about Kellar for a moment. Apparently he did show up at the talk tonight, to some extent. He got as far as the Modern Languages building before the police picked him up, accused him of trespassing, and escorted him off-campus. While the rest of us were at the Blatchford talk, he was updating his Twitter account. Angrily, if I read his emotions correctly. Among other things, he accused the university of being against free speech. What?
Let me get this straight, Mr. Kellar: You show up at the first Blatchford talk, with the explicit and stated goal of preventing her from speaking. You chain yourselves up on stage with bicycle locks. You succeed in the goal of preventing her from speaking. You tell the media, and I quote, "If she comes again, she'll be blocked again." (source) And after the police prevent you from interfering with her second talk, you have the gall to ask "where is the open debate?" ( link) Seriously? Seriously?
I'll tell you where the open debate was. It was inside the Modern Languages theatre, being had by people sane enough to leave the bike locks outside. I'm not being disingenuous here. The very first question was a pointed query, questioning the wisdom of writing a book about Caledonia without including more Native backstory. It was far from the last pointed question, nor would I characterize most of the question-askers as Blatchford supporters. Few if any of the questions were softballs.
I've already said I won't comment here and now on what I think of Blatchford's views, or book. But I will say this: I enjoyed that her talk happened at all. Today is a good day for free speech.
One person who asked a question identified himself as a member of a Six Nations band. I wonder how he would feel if he was labelled a Nazi just for attending Blatchford's talk today, as the protesters would have accused him of being if he attended her first.
You already know I bought the book. Well, I read the book, and the talk was basically a summarized version. But I'm not going to say here what I thought of either. I started following Blatchford because her right to free speech was hindered, not because of what in particular she says. I don't want my opinion of the particular things she says to be conflated with my pro-free-speech stance in general. So I'll keep that out of here.
But even so, I have plenty to say.
Interestingly, it was the most security I've seen at a UW event, ever. There were at least a dozen Waterloo Regional police there, and that's just the police. There were Bomber bouncers, Conestoga College Security Guard majors, volunteers, the works. Bud Walker and I were comparing the security at this Blatchford talk to the security when now-Governor-General David Johnston returned to Campus. Bud said there were more guards at the Blatchford event, and I agree with him. But I responded that Johnston was surrounded by suits with lapel pins, and those should count as more than one guy.
I've never been patted down for a UW talk, either. Usually I'm carrying at least one utility knife, but wisely I left those at home today.
Dean of Arts Ken Coates did the introduction. Feridun Hamdullahpur himself didn't speak, but was spotted in the audience. I found Coates' introduction interesting, because it seemed geared towards countering all the anti-free-speech bad press UW got.
"A quick observation. If you'll recall, this is Christie Blatchford's second visit to the University of Waterloo. The first one was, uh, incomplete. She is an invited guest of the University of Waterloo, and has been invited here specifically to discuss her book. We welcome everybody here who has come to listen to what she has to say; we will not and we can not support anybody who is here to suppress her rights to speak, or our rights to hear what she has to say. In fact it is the essence of the university to listen to ideas, controversial or otherwise. It is also be very important that those ideas be challenged and questioned, we will accept answers, even difficult answers, throughout the question and answer period. We cannot and will not allow anyone to silence a speaker here, at the University of Waterloo."
Christie Blatchford speaking at the University of Waterloo. Note the absence of bike-locked protesters. Note also that she is actually speaking. Tuesday, December 7, 2010.
Blatchford started her talk by thanking Ken Coates for the introduction, thanking the attendees, and thanking the police, which got chuckles from the audience. Humourously, she ended her opening statement with, "And of course thanks to the alleged doctoral student Dan Kellar for all he's done to help sell my book." I'd object, but it's apt.
Let's talk about Kellar for a moment. Apparently he did show up at the talk tonight, to some extent. He got as far as the Modern Languages building before the police picked him up, accused him of trespassing, and escorted him off-campus. While the rest of us were at the Blatchford talk, he was updating his Twitter account. Angrily, if I read his emotions correctly. Among other things, he accused the university of being against free speech. What?
Let me get this straight, Mr. Kellar: You show up at the first Blatchford talk, with the explicit and stated goal of preventing her from speaking. You chain yourselves up on stage with bicycle locks. You succeed in the goal of preventing her from speaking. You tell the media, and I quote, "If she comes again, she'll be blocked again." (source) And after the police prevent you from interfering with her second talk, you have the gall to ask "where is the open debate?" ( link) Seriously? Seriously?
I'll tell you where the open debate was. It was inside the Modern Languages theatre, being had by people sane enough to leave the bike locks outside. I'm not being disingenuous here. The very first question was a pointed query, questioning the wisdom of writing a book about Caledonia without including more Native backstory. It was far from the last pointed question, nor would I characterize most of the question-askers as Blatchford supporters. Few if any of the questions were softballs.
I've already said I won't comment here and now on what I think of Blatchford's views, or book. But I will say this: I enjoyed that her talk happened at all. Today is a good day for free speech.
One person who asked a question identified himself as a member of a Six Nations band. I wonder how he would feel if he was labelled a Nazi just for attending Blatchford's talk today, as the protesters would have accused him of being if he attended her first.