The Courage of One's Convictions

lavatch

It would be a grave mistake to consider the film "No Safe Spaces" a "conservative" documentary. In fact, there are multiple examples of die-hard liberals who appear on camera to support the filmmaker's main point: the present emergency of preserving the fragile nature of free speech in America.

The overall structure of the film is a conversation between Adam Carolla and Dennis Praeger, two enormously mismatched individuals based on their different backgrounds and upbringing. But they find a common ground in the current stifling of free speech on college campuses and the climate that has resulted in so-called safe spaces. The film offers a persuasive argument that the idea of the safe spaces is not only superfluous, but is actually harmful to young people.

The most riveting section of the film was the interview with Brett Weinstein, a former faculty member at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. For failing to stay away from the college on a day that required white personnel to remain off campus, Weinstein was harassed and his safety was threatened, leading to his resignation as a tenured faculty member. Weinstein's words are the most chilling in the film when he predicts that his case might only be the start for a much broader form of repression that could move beyond campus culture to affect society at large.

Another superb segment was the filming of Praeger with a small group of students at Clark Atlanta University. The discussion was a model of thoughtful debate in which the major issues were made clear. While there was not a definitive conclusion or minds changed, it was an enlightened conversation with give-and-take, demonstrating precisely what is missing in today's college classrooms.

The only omission from the film was commentary from Heather MacDonald, the author of the book "The Diversity Delusion." No one in recent years is a more astute commentator and inveterate researcher, who understands what precisely has occurred in the decline of American institutions of higher learning in the period covered in the film. Because MacDonald was not used as a consultant, the film was assigned the ranking of 9, as opposed to a 10.

The film argued that free speech is a precious commodity in human history. In a review of the map, the filmmakers showed how rare this freedom exists globally even in the modern world. For this reason, it is essential not to take our first amendment privileges for granted. Because these rights are now under threat, the message of the filmmakers is to have the courage of one's convictions and to stand up to exercise free speech while there is still the opportunity.

score /10

lavatch 18 November 2019

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw5266427/