Hyperbole aside, I’ll just say it. No Safe Spaces is one of the most important documentaries that you need to see today…like right now…soon. Sure, I get that by mentioning the film’s two hosts, Dennis Prager and Adam Carolla, it would be easy to just dismiss the film as a hate-filled indoctrination into conservatism. Its message, though, is not about right vs. left, but then it is in a way. It’s about how the idea of debate and dissent is becoming an endangered species in modern culture.
From director Justin Folk and writer John Sullivan, No Safe Spaces digs deep into how identity politics today has become a tool to suppress and even penalizes the expression of free speech. Folk and Sullivan’s film dutifully documents the movement to stop the utterance of differing viewpoints under the guise that its hate speech. It all began on American university campuses, ironically the birthplace of free speech during the 60s.
“…digs deep into how identity politics today has become a tool to suppress and even penalizes the expression of free speech.”
No Safe Spaces is loaded with examples of how differing viewpoints were being squelched on campus by students and teachers. Universities first tried to cancel appearances by conservatives Prager and Carolla because they were afraid of student backlash due to hurt feelings. When that didn’t work, school administrators charged conservative campus groups exorbitant security fees to protects the university not from the damage caused by the attendees of conservative lectures but from the potential rioting of protesters. We’ve gotten to the point where we now riot over free speech.
The documentary begins to explain how we, as a society, have lost the ability to debate. How we’re unable to defend our viewpoints, permit them to be challenged, or find some form of common ground that we can stand on together. We’ve become lazy. Rather than debate and challenge the ideas of others, we demonize those with whom we disagree as a racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, homophobe, white nationalist Nazi. In other words, this country is divided, and it’s your fault.
"…not a piece of conservative propaganda."
We’ve lost the ability to debate only politically. We still debate other things just fine. And it’s because one side of the debate refuses to accept reality.
You can’t have a debate if you can’t agree on accepting basic facts or feel the need to substitute how you feel for reality.
Carolla and Prager are offensively dishonest and just come across as a couple of bitter, sad old men. Both have sold out their actual beliefs and values to appeal to the lowest common denominator.
[…] “If we cannot return to respect one another or engage in civil public debate, then we’re lost, and we will ultimately become the same monsters we accuse the other side of being. The documentary may make you angry at times (or throughout), but that’s actually a good thing. We can talk about that too.” –Film Threat […]
As a teacher of high school American government and American history for 44 years, I have warned my students about this trend for the last 10 years. It’s here and well documented by Carolla and Prager.
Lol
Thank you for being objective in your review.
I’m sure this film has a lengthy segment on Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem at NFL games. What could be more indicative of where we are as a culture than when a demonstration of free speech triggers the actual President of the United States, the single most important authority, the person who has sworn to uphold the Constitution — but instead makes public calls for retaliation and silencing of that free speech he’s sworn to protect?
Oh wait, it mainly focuses on 19 year old kids on college campuses? What a surprise…
Kaepernick had the right to “voice” his views. The American public has a right to reject him for both his views and his choice of where to air those views.
You have the right to say something, you DO NOT have the right to be immune from the consequences of what you said.
Hate-filled leftist-fascists have IMPAIRED REALITY TESTING. They are so filled with hate they project their hate onto anyone not following Paranoid Craziness groupthink. Your projections are amazingly consistent, which makes your mental illness definable, like other illnesses with IMPAIRED REALITY TESTING, like schizophrenia and manic-phase bipolar disorder. You project Racism – which most of the deranged infectees could not accurately define – onto the uninfected, oblivious to your anti-white racism: targetting others for the color of their skin. You put your delusions into some kind of Victimese – a person whom Racism is projected onto deserves fascist AmFascist beatings or being prevented from being able to be employed. So Totalitarianly Psychotic.
Watching this movie would not dent your psychotic delusions if you’re as impervious to logic as many commenters here have proven.
Utter bullshit.
Prager is activley lobbying to deny LGBTQ people equal rights.
Corolla is upset he can’t say “Spic” in his act anymore.
Neither one is a defender of free speech they’re upset they’re being called out for the bullies they are. The whole idea that conservatives are being persecuted is ridiculous and all their claims are unsupported. This documentary is a circle jerk of conservative thought with no basis in reality. It’s only saving grace is it’s better then Ben Stein’s Expelled.
Stacy H, shown below, seems to think that free speech advocates are violently demonstrating on campuses, driving and justifying violent demonstrations to stop the free speech advocates. I wonder about the incredible ability to convince so many people that non violent people are violent, and that violent people are the underdogs being victimized. What I like to recognize as “Double Speak”.
I am really puzzled at how a group that has no hatred can be indelibly tattooed with a label of hatred, and with that label on them, JUSTIFY hatred against them. I’ve always thought the human mind was stronger than that. It’s depressing to realize how weak human minds can be; to essentially be convinced to believe that black is white, white is black, the moon is the sun, and so on.
I’m sure Stacy H, and the ones she seems to be passionately defending, will have no inclination to try to understand what motivates their opponents by watching this film. Perhaps a few may, but we can only hope.
Please, Bring No Safe Spaces to Chicago and the Chicago suburbs. If you can strea it into all of the high school classrooms (in the high scholls that are currently operating outside of the entire Chicago Public School System, which is on strike), that would be cool too.
Please.
We need some sanity rewstored.
These kids are being taught that Christopher Colombus was a genocidal maniac and that 9/11 never happened.
Please.
Well, Columbus was a genocidal monster who caused irreparable damage to the Americas (by destroying its people and culture) and Spain (by destroying its economy). That is recorded fact even in his own journals, which he espoused the benefits of enslaving the natives for forced labor and sex trafficking (including how in-demand young girls under 12 years old were), remarking how easily the whole of the Americas could be “tamed.” We shouldn’t be celebrating anything Christopher Columbus ever did, because the majority of what he did and how he did it was misguided, misinformed, and downright barbaric.
And what’s your source identifying that 9/11 is being taught like it didn’t happen? You can’t walk down any street in the USA without a “Never Forget” bumper sticker flashing by on someone’s bumper, so I highly doubt that dubious claim.
Gee, he believed the world was round. And then proved it by mistake, but it was still his actions that lead to the beginnings of all of us being here.
If everyone that did anything bad was annexed from history we would be condemned to repeat past mistakes. He was a participant in bad dealings in a time it was acceptable to do so. But thats not all he was. . . Just saying.
Please bring No Safe Spaces to Indianapolis, Indiana
I firmly believe in the 1st amendment!
Any alterations to the our country’s amendments alters the whole idea of what America stands for FREEDOM!
No you don’t. You believe that people can be hateful and never be criticized for it. It’s interesting that people who say the are for “free speech” also want the “PC” people to just shut up.
Bring to Memphis & surrounding areas….please
It’s very clearly a piece of conservative propaganda.
I bet you believed everything that they said in Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, too.
Wow. Thank you for pushing free speech and civil debate. I hope we are able to return to it. Unfortunately, I suspect we are already too far down a path that is going to destroy a real freedoms.