Chronicle Editorial

Suck it up Buttercup
     Iowa House of Representative Bobby Kaufmann (R-Wilton) plans to introduce a new bill during the January session of the state legislature, entitled “Suck it up, buttercup,” with the primary aim of deducting funding from state colleges and university who spend excess money on “grieving, meditation and crying” sessions, held for students, post-election of Donald J. Trump.
     Kaufmann said in both a Washington Post and Des Moines Register article that “I’ve seen four or five schools in other states that are establishing ‘cry zones’ where they’re staffed by state grief counselors and kids can come cry out their sensitivity to the election results.” He stated that everyone ahs the right to grieve, but on their own time.
     Kaufmann’s law has become a national point of contention, garnering support from those on the conservative side of politics, who think the backlash of the election could be considered “over the top,” and hostility from those on the liberal side, who see the law as a direct target to the safe spaces and free speech outlets.
     Public universities have stated that no extra money has been spent on these events, and are using the current institutions currently set up within the university, and have expressed that the results of the election have made it necessary for students to reflect on the state of the country.
     The Hampton Chronicle enjoys the rights guaranteed by the first amendment of the United States. The protection of free speech from any censorship is the most important right the nation can have.
     On the surface, Kaufmann’s bill doesn’t seem to take aim at free speech, but instead takes aim at the infrastructure created to ensure that free speech does not escalate to violence or fighting words.
     While the true utility of a “safe space” can be defined in many ways, its use isn’t to “coddle” individuals who ask for it, rather, provide an outlet in which debates can take place without language that could be deemed hurtful and insulting.
     As a member of the free press, a newspaper is a safe space. It is a place where those can write letters to the editor in a respectful matter to facilitate a dialogue about important issues. It is a place that holds both community members and officials, accountable. For all intents and purposes, a newspaper is a safe space.
     John F Kennedy once said that “those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable.” This bill seems to be against the protests themselves. Having a “meditation session,” allows for those who are frustrated to express themselves in a constructive way, rather than let their emotions get the better of them to do something worse.
     Free speech is supposed to guarantee productive debate. By uninstalling an infrastructure that is already paid for, leaves room for emotions to run hot and cause something else to happen.