Don Feder Protested at Umass Amherst

[CallistoAshus]

"Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence." - Robert Frost

[emmmanueeel]

Does the Women have been removed! What a shithead! No wonder the public laught at that! He is a true ass hole!

[Pooper88x]

these people are so lame..go do something fun with your lives and enjoy it..bunch of losers haha

[atomhippy]

He is a PIG. JEW, not a white men. He represent the reason why Latin Christian Apostolic, still and alway will HATE jews. the world would be a better place without them. what a mistake by stoping the SS.

[adolescent900]

these people give leftists a bad name

[Nashville09876]

The problem with debates like this is simple. Let the man state the facts and let the other side state the facts. You will see that Mr. Feder wins the debate. The other side doesnt like it so they shout at it hoping it will go away

[Ironzealot7531]

typical leftist thuggery

[sarcasm] glad to see that modern academia is committed to protecting the free and open exchange of ideas on our nation's campuses [/sarcasm]

[BanalCarnal]

You gotta understand, they played right into what Mr. Feder wanted...these student morons are so easy.

[BanalCarnal]

Gurd...you must be a little white rich bitch...I can tell by your privlaged little words.

[gurdjieff66]

Death to white privilege, and power to the people!

[andretheking86]

i don't even know what the issue is about, but at one point in the video the guy speaking said listen, than a bunch of the people in the audience started yelling "we are listening!" ... and then they turn the chairs around as if they are so profound ... what a bunch of idiots, they could have been protesting slavery, but i couldn't even take them seriously the way they acted

[RobGoth100]

Leftists are retarded.

[ThePissedOffAtheist]

Leftards ruining a lecture with noises that belong in a zoo because they can't stand opposing views; I've never seen such a thing before! Maybe lecturers should be obliged to carry guns and shoot leftards who try to disrupt their speech?

[CHUCKLZLORD]

No matter what your stance, this was rude and disrespectful and, frankly, down right childish. All I saw was children who clamped there hands over there ears so they don't have to hear what you have to say. now, Feder wasn't going down the same path that I would (the fact that a man got the two victims of his assault charged with hate crimes, while he attempts to get off scott-free (not the rarity of hate-crimes))

[fourpatts]

So this is what it's come down to: the left cannot simply disagree with Mr Feder, their certitude justifies disruption of free speech. After all, he's so wrong and they're so right. Where does this lead us?

Shame on UMass for standing by while his right to free speech is trampled.

[mntmn3]

First few seconds of the video -- the event hasn't begun yet, nothing has been said, but the name-calling has begun. Doesn't that qualify as hate speech? I don't need to see any more.

[pinegrove33]

The left is the root of intolerance in American society. Let's all stand up with them.

[dredgrave666]

"Get ready to, like, show these bigots that we're not allowing hate on our campus"

Doth protest too much.

[antkx]

Aside from being cowards, some of these protesters are ridiculously hypocritical. You want to be able to interrupt a speech while claiming "free speech" without any regard for the fact that your interruption is effectively silencing the opposition and consequently violating his "free speech." And it's interesting what "free speech" has evolved into after initially being created to protect citizens from retribution after speaking out against their government. No, I'm not a Republican btw.

[liarlielielie]

Liberals are retarded. 'Anti-fascism' is the perfect encapsulation of the left wing agenda.

[benprytherch]

liarlielielie

Funny how "anti-fascists" employ some of the same techniques as real fascists. Hitler supposedly said that he could turn a communist into a fascist in minutes - the reason being that they are actually similar ideologies. There's a reason the Nazis were called "national socialists". Either you approve of coercion and mob rule, or you don't.

Genuine liberals don't behave like this.  Self-styled radical revolutionary types do, and they don't deserve to call themselves liberals.

[usaexpatriateact]

Well said.

[benprytherch]

"The US Supreme Court long ago held that the content of the speech comes into play with regard to prohibitions. That's why you can't yell fire in a crowded theater."

The Supreme Court has been very clear that speech cannot be prohibited based on it's political content. The "fire" example has to do with speech which poses a physical threat to others. Any state-imposed impediment to speech (which this was not an example of, as you pointed out) must be "content neutral", according to the court.

[benprytherch]

Also, speech neither "takes away from" or "gives" to people on any level besides that of thought. Some speech may offend you, but bear in mind that a lot of speech you probably approve of offends others. A lot of right-wingers would like to ban flag burning on the grounds that it is hate speech against our country. If you accept that "hateful" speech should be silenced, you are opening the door to others who may well want to silence the opinions your opinions.

[benprytherch]

Shouting down your opponent is childish and anti-intellectual. It's that simple. If someone is saying something you don't agree with, combat his ideas with better ideas. Refute his arguments. Trying to shut him up makes it sound like you can't answer him on an intellectual level.

Also, it is telling that people who are against hate crime laws get labeled as bigots. How convenient! If you can write off your opponent as evil, that saves you the trouble of having to listen to his arguments.

[h0tpoop]

lol, i didn't know people still hissed. and the turning the chairs away was such a powerful statement. i like how anyone that diverges with you on any policy is automatically a bigot and a racist. as if the only conceivable way to enforce social justice is through your bang up government policies. hooray for strawmen

[themodpoet]

Once again, watch the video. No one stopped the bigot from speaking. He chose to stop speaking and leave the stage. If you only a friendly obedient audience who share your bigoted views, then make it a private event. That's what the Aryan Brotherhood does.

[laborwage]

If you mean use physical force to stop him from speaking, then I agree with you, no physical force was used. Nothing illegal occured. However, nothing of nobility occured either, and no message was communicated, by either party. Is this the aim of this group, to shut down discourse? Interestingly you refer to the Aryan Brotherhood, a group which takes its roots in Nazi facism, a movement, the early parts of which were marked by the same sort of shouting-down of speakers, in that case Jewish.

[Fuunken]

To stop one from speaking and to keep one from being heard are virtually the same thing and guess what? They did the latter in the video. Heckling and shouting over the speaker to keep him from addressing the people in the crowd who wanted to hear him is not only disrespectful ,but cowardly bigotry. It's ironic and very sad that the people that claim to want to free the world of racism and bigotry are the ones to show the most of them both. Prejudice isn't pretty.

[themodpoet]

Get over the "idea" of "freedom" of speech. The US Supreme Court long ago held that the content of the speech comes into play with regard to prohibitions. That's why you can't yell fire in a crowded theater. And neither did the university nor the campus police nor any government agency prevent this bigot from speaking. He spoke. His audience spoke as well. Don't they have free speech? Why are bigots so unwilling to withstand the criticism of their ideas?

[laborwage]

Criticism is when you hear your opponent's position on a matter, wait for the question and answer session, and address your concerns with their logic in hopes of a reply. Yelling and speaking over someone is certainly an exercise of your own freedom of speech, but accomplishes very little, graners you negative respect, and serves to belittle your own views, which I am sure hold merit, but were not communicated. What occured was a child-like exercise in rebellion. Teenage rebellion.

[themodpoet]

Why does the "debate" over free speech always sound like a defense of bigotry and not a fight for freedom? Let's not confuse the "right to speak" with "the capacity to speak." I have "the capacity to fart" but that doesn't mean I have "the right to fart". Should I exercise that "right to fart" in a crowded elevator, you would properly have the right to stop my exercising of that right.

[laborwage]

In the farting situation, the other people in the elevator are not being exposed to gas under their consent. In the situation in the video, the protesters showed up, consentually, to the speech in order to "fart," so to speak. Not allowing someone the freedom to speak by heckling them, when they have paid for the facilities in which they are speaking, is a violation of the freedom of speech.

[themodpoet]

The "freedom of speech" mentioned in the First Amendment of the Constitution only applies to the government (yeah, check it out). Mr. Feder spoke. Many times. Freely. He speaks so much he is paid to come to campuses to speak. The people who disagree with him don't. There's a difference between speech that takes things away from people and speech that extends freedom to people. If you're not sure of the difference, you should get off the internet and participate in the real world.

[laborwage]

So you are willing then to posit that various forms of speech deserve their speaker various degrees of protection under the law? This argument works well in the current college campus situation, where liberals are in power, and can thus decree exactly the kind of speech worth protecting. However, in the long-run view, it is prudent to anticipate that perhaps liberals will not always hold power on campus, and then the policies of speech resriction they put in could be used for other purposes.

[dancininanson]

Wow...it's like these people hate someone who isn't like them.

[jd24717]

I can't see how anyone could be proud of hating free speech.

[themodpoet]

So, if you're a right winger, you can say and do whatever you want. If you're on the left, you have to shut up and accept whatever you're told. Thanks for reminding me why Nazi Germany was defeated.

[benprytherch]

themodpoet:

There's a difference between a speaker "not being cheered" and that speaker being shouted down. None of the "GOP whiners" here have suggested that the crowd should have agreed with Feder, only that they should have allowed him to speak. I would be equally appalled if it were a leftist speaker being shouted down by conservatives.

As for the Nazi reference, it's funny you bring them up. They also had a callous attitude towards free speech and dissenting opinions.

[Omaidn]

this is ridiculous.. these hippies give us liberals a bad name. shame on them.

if u don't have the guts to hear an opposing view.. stop calling ur selves "liberal," or "progressive."

shame on these protesters.

[laborwage]

People are hissing? These people are hissing?! WHAT!?!? What does that even mean? Does that accomplish anything like meaningful discourse of any kind? At first I disagreed with the post below comparing the protesters to kindergarteners, but now I am not so sure I disagree. Hissing?!?!

[retrovertigo]

You all should be ashamed of yourselves. Maybe if you took the time to listen to what he had to say you would realize it was not about what you ASSumed.

I mean seriously, aren't ALL crimes technically "hate crimes"?

[Aurini]

Bloody shameful.

[themodpoet]

Why is it that racists and bigots only whine about free speech when they're disgusting ideas are not cheered? Grow up, GOP whiners!

[jd24717]

Wrong.

Try again.

[tubafatness]

"We're listening, we're listening..."

No, you're not. You're talking. There is a noticeable difference.

[skihills]

I didn't know that UMass had so many immature and ignorant children attending the university. Send them back to kindergarten where they belong. Mental midgets!

[grousekiller]

This is of course the liberals being "brave" and speaking "truth to power"! What this is a facism its truest form.

[cloppbeast]

"We're showing these bigots that we aren't allowing hate on our campus" - the douch bag from the video

You must have a curious definition of bigot, because from what I understand, you are the only bigot on campus.

(n) bigot (a prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from his own)

By that definition, you are the one who is a bigot.

[noobie31]

Umass must really hate this guy (ironic)

[FairlyObvious1]

It's incidents like this that make me worry about the state of our country . . .

You say you're fighting bigotry when your actions were the very definition of bigotry.

[benprytherch]

I find it amusing that so many people who consider themselves liberal have no qualms with trying to silence someone giving a speech. As a genuine liberal this type of behavior disgusts me.

[coolcreep]

True liberalism was hijacked in the 20th century by people like this.

[MonzLithium]

umass kids are kind of dumb

[redsoxrule124245]

If your gonna go into arguably one of the most liberal states in the US to their flagship college and not expect resistance you're a moron. Also you claim he was denied the first amendment right to free speech, well the protesters were entirely peaceful and didn't attempt to incite a riot. That is their first amendment right. Feder didn't have the balls to stand in the face of criticism and talk about something he promotes.

[generationll]

Redsoxrule,that stupid state is the most liberal state in the country.There hasn't been gop member in country from that in congress since 1996.The state legislature has 200 members out of which about 20 are Republicans.Also Don Feder spent many,many years at the Boston Herald.Who was that ASSHOLE at about 8:50.Like Don Feder very much

[myralangerhas]

Stupid, ugly, immature little maggots.

[unreal1949]

It's has to be there way or no way. That sure sounds like Mass. to me

[jbob30]

I am as right wing as you can get. I believe everyone should pack a gun, abortion is murder and is wrong ALWAYS... no exceptions, homosexuality is a sin that will send someone to hell (but no worse than any other sin, mine included) BUT, Don Feder acted like a jerk and was just as much to blame for the outcome of this as anyone. He acted like a spoiled brat kid that was not getting his way. Yes the audience was disrespectful, but his actions could have stopped it, instead he made it worse.

[SirLee321]

Why is it the Young Republicans all look like interns for former Senator Foley?

[dawgsfan000]

why do all the protesters look like hippie wannabes?

[LenKatzman]

@DecimusIunius: At 2:10 Feder rants that if he isn't allowed to talk "you'll have won!" People up to then had not disrupted.

At 2:23 he says "there's something Goddamn fascistic about people coming in to a speech and deliberately trying to disrupt it." At that point the people are STILL well behaved.

It goes on like that, and you call ME a liar? I stand by my remarks. This was intended by Feder from the start to be about those evil bad protesters stopping him from talking. He's full of crap.

[DecimusIunius]

The jeering and shouting starts when the College Republican is trying to introduce him, as you damn well know. Yes, LenKatzman, you're a liar. The thing that makes you so unique is that you're stupid enough to lie about this when, again, all anyone has to do is watch the video to see that your version of events is utter bullshit.

[LenKatzman]

I'm not a liar -- nor do I need to resort to inarticulate name calling and foul language to make my point. As for my intelligence, you don't know the least thing about me. Hint: Wechsler VS Range.

Perhaps your analysis of the event is different from mine because we each see the video through our own biases. I am proudly liberal, progressive and "left", and I am guessing you may be more conservative and "right".

Like you, I invite anyone who wants to watch the video and judge for themselves

[DecimusIunius]

Your "biases" must be pretty strong indeed, if they cause your very EARS not to function, so that you can't hear the hissing, jeering and yelling of this lynch mob--before Feder had even begun to speak. No, I don't think there's anything wrong with your ears. I think you just tried to misrepresent what is plainly visible for anyone watching the video--which was stupid. Your belated invitation for people to watch and decide for themselves came only after I called you out.

[LenKatzman]

You "called me out?" Please. This is YouTube. By definition people watch the videos before they read the comments.

For the last time, I stand by what I said, namely, that the whole Feder event was conceived and designed to drum up an incident and Feder was just itching to leap at the very first sign of dissent. Go to his website and see for your self. Fostering outrage is how he makes his living. I wish him well with that.

Now, it's a fine spring day and I'm going to go enjoy it. Best wishes.

[DecimusIunius]

So let me get this straight: It's your argument that the "whole Feder event was conceived and designed to drum up an incident?" Tell me, genius: How much did Feder pay each member of this crowd of assholes to act like a pack of shit-throwing monkeys?

If people "by definition" watch the videos beforehand, what did you hope to accomplish by lying about what happens on the video? That's stupid "by definition," and continuing to insist that you stand by a patently obvious lie only makes it worse.

[DecimusIunius]

Bunch of ignorant bastards. They go to college uncouth idiots, and come out absolute animals. Never worked a day in their lives, and never will. Worthless, stupid and lazy.

[freefromgovernment]

They made their point...no free speech in America unless you are an ignorant stupid little child that has no concept of the FREEDOM OF SPEECH...just because you disagree does not mean you disrespect. It shows how little and closed minded you actually are. I cannot believe these children are allowed to act this way. Where are the adults?

[goodasyou]

Wanna see something scary? This is what Don Feder had to say about the incident:

"Perhaps conservative speakers should go to campus lectures armed, thereby exercising their Second Amendment rights to forestall violation of their First Amendment rights."

One News Now column, 3/25/09

[Craighill9]

Typical leftists. Tolerate only the speech that they agree with.

[LenKatzman]

Feder was waiting for any excuse to stop his speech so he could play the role of martyr. The students were NOT being loud or interrupting -- they just turned their chairs around. Big Deal! He could have kept on talking.

But, as soon as just ONE student stood up and interrupted, he said "That's it!" and stopped his speech, just as he planned. The whole thing was intended by the Republicans and Feder from the start to be about those evil bad protesters stopping him from talking.

What a farce!

[DecimusIunius]

What the fuck? They "were NOT being loud or interrupting? All anyone has to do is watch the first 60 seconds of this video to know you're full of shit.

When you lie, you might at least not do it in a place where people can immediately see for themselves that you're lying.

[JimDeferio]

Homosexuals are the biggest HATERS in this nation. Wake up America! The homofascists and feminazis won't be content until they silence all opposition to their vile and immoral lifestyles. I have been physically assaulted numerous times by these intolerant bigots.

[staindgod81]

what you all did here was not express your own free speech, but deny the republican commitee theirs.

[steve527]

I hope all of you disruptive fucks die in a fire.

[sammlyon]

I'm not going to remove your comment in order to let others see what you wrote, but that is inappropriate and indicative of the type of hate speech we are attempting to counter. Remember you are a human being and we all are too. Try to find some peace in your life.

[steve527]

I hope others do see what I wrote. Inappropriate is showing up to a speech and haggling him to the point where trying to get a word in is impossible. You say, "We are listening", but you went in there with the very goal of being a nuisance. I love when you cheer at the fact that he says no other universities he spoke at have ever done anything like this. "WOO HOO" applaude your own ignorance.

[applaya]

Pathetic. I disagree with Don Feder, but not letting him talk is pathetic.

[sammlyon]

As you can clearly see from the video, Don Feder willingly put down the microphone and walked away. We even chanted Speak Don Speak but his poor ego was too hurt to continue. He is a white privileged man with a microphone who doesn't know how to speak his ideas in the face of protest. We shouldn't tolerate his hate speech on campus in the first place, but most people were willing to hear him out. It was his own tactic to stop speaking to cry out that he was denied his right.

[applaya]

Disagreeing with hate crime laws is not hate speech. There is nothing hateful about that. At a University there should be a diversity of opinions, without people like you deciding what can be said and what can't be. Plenty of people wanted to go there and hear Feder, not you and your idiot friends shout stupid shit at him.

[CHUCKLZLORD]

He did not come to the campus to speak in the face of adversity, he came to speak to the people who supported him, payed money and time and effort to get him there and didn't get to see anything of value because you heckled him out of an event they had organized. This is rude and disrespectful. I won't touch on any issues being raised, because I don't know much about them, I do not support republicans or leftists, I can say this however. this is rude, crude and entirely unnecessary. man up.

[aaron54880]

If Don Feder is a white privileged man, then you're all white privileged students, but apparently upset and throwing tantrums because you don't have a microphone. All can see quite clearly from the video the the disruption was constant. There seems to be a clear unwillingness to engage in dialogue on the part of the spoiled white students. If you truthfully consider your behaviour to be undisruptive, then try acting in the same fashion in your classes and see if your professor is aquiescent.

[cptflume]

NICE video. My favorite quote from the other one is when T uses their "marketplace of ideas" analogy on the right winger: "the market has spoken: your ideology is bankrupt." Thanks for this!

[sammlyon]

Thank you. Post widely about the event!