Campus News

Banned from other campuses, conservative personality talks ‘alt-right’

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Conservative personality Milo Yiannopolous made several crude suggestions at his talk in the Student Center South Theatre on Monday night. | Dmitriy Borovykh/The Cougar

In a pivotal political season where partisan pride presides over a restless nation, Milo Yiannopolous made a name for himself. The journalist and Breitbart tech editor took his nationwide tour, “Dangerous F****t,” to the Student Center Theater on Monday night.

Yiannopolous, a controversial figure in the new landscape of social media politics, started out his talk by making it clear he would hold little back. He talked about the alt-right, free speech, identity politics and his support for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, all the while making jabs at feminists, safe-space advocates, Black Lives Matter and Hillary Clinton supporters.

About halfway through the talk, a woman from the audience stood up and went to sit at the edge of the stage in protest. Throughout his tour, Yiannopolous has encountered flamboyant displays of protest against him, but this time, the protest was just a muffled voice surrounded by swarming security officers.

“Madame, I’m grateful to you for coming,” Yiannopolous said. “But to be honest with you, (expletive) your feelings. This is not the ‘special snowflake’ hour.”

The woman soon left the auditorium under chants of “U.S.A.” from the crowd.

Throughout the talk, Yiannopolous made it clear he was not a part of the alt-right ideology — he said he is a “fellow traveler” and examiner of it. The movement, which Yiannopolous claims is so new that it’s difficult to provide a concrete definition, has gained traction thanks to an outcry of disenfranchised millennials.

Supply chain management junior Asher Warriach is the secretary for the Students for Trump group on campus. Yiannopolous, who is based in Britain, has commented on the rise of Trump, and U.S. politics in general, from his unique lens.

“All these events raise awareness to the media’s lies,” Warriach said. “Not many people know what’s going on because the media hides corruption, and Breitbart is supporting Trump’s campaign by, of and for the people.”

The theme of his talk centered on “ways to defeat the alt-right.” Yiannopoulos proposed several ways of improving current sociopolitical situations, some of which included “F**k your feelings,” “F**k your safe space,” “Build the Wall” and “Get a sense of humor.”

On a campus that prides itself as being one of the most diverse in the nation, and one that gained national attention for #RemoveRohini, Yiannopolous’s words carried meaning to the eager ears within the auditorium.

An unabashed free-speech advocate, Yiannopolous ended the talk outlining a world where everyone could voice their opinions and dispute them all in the public sphere. This, he believes, would weed out the dangerous voices and potentially salvage Western civilization.

Creative writing sophomore Brandon Garcia didn’t necessarily agree with Yiannopolous’ political opinions. As Yiannopolous put it during the Q&A section of the talk, Garcia had walked into the lion’s den out of respect.

“We’re probably on the different sides on the (political) spectrum, but I respect his ability to stand up for his own beliefs,” Garcia said. “He respects mine, and I want a discussion to be had.”

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41 Comments

  • Warriach said
    “Not many people know what’s going on because the media hides
    corruption, and Breitbart is supporting Trump’s campaign by, of and for
    the people.” Awesome…..

      • Racist Democrats = Tawana Brawley, Crystal Mangum, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Nation of Islam, New Black Panther Party.

        • New Black Panther Party and Nation of Islam aren’t Democrats. And none of these people you mention are racist, to my knowledge.

          • You must be one of those ignorant black racists who wanted to kick out that student government leader because of “All Lives Matter.” Ignorant black racists like you should explain Crystal Mangum and Tawana Brawley, black racists who falsely accused whites of rape.

        • Ah, now we know that roccolore is a 60-something bigot with an ax to grind from the 90s. These people are truly bizarre, sad rejects from a bygone era.

        • Wow, did you just have a brain aneurysm because I disagreed with you? Sounds like you’re afraid of dissent yourself there, buddy.

          I was poking fun a making broad generalizations of entire political ideology like you did. But hey, thanks for helping give my broad generalization some credence.

            • Because they are well within their free speech rights to do so, just as the speaker is well within his free speech rights to ignore them and continue speaking.

              • Liberals love to lecture on diversity and openness, but their behavior often shows the opposite. Ever notice how conservatives don’t barge the stage or shout down anti-American, anti-Israel, or pro-Islamist speakers?

                • Oh I’m sorry, did some big mean liberal hurt your feelings by openly protesting the things you had to say? What a bummer, you hate to see that happen. Would you like a safe space to ensure those big mean nasty liberals won’t do that anymore?

                    • You literally just got done whining that nobody was giving you neofasicsts enough space to speak your truth™, lol.

                      You guys are the biggest wimps ever, and history is done with you.

                    • That’s a weird thing to say to a thirtysomething white male who is making a fool out of you.

                    • The truth? Remind me what that is again as you frantically and furiously type out 2 to 3 replies to one comment again? Is it the truth that you can’t handle dissent any better than those you claim can’t handle dissent and you hide it under a “tough guy” guise of name calling an cruelty not unlike what is seen in the behavior of a 6 year old boy?

                  • The need a safe space though, even though they keep whining about how they hate safe spaces! Hahaha. These twitter neo-fascists are truly the most bizarre, butthurt little kids.

              • Kindly tell us how a speaker is supposed to get his ideas across if people are shouting so he CAN’T be heard? And how does this promote the idea of a forum of ideas?

                • Because people can and often do shout over each other. Exhibit A: last night’s debate where Trump interrupted Hillary 51 times over the course of a 90 minute moderated debate.

                  The 1st amendment grants you a voice in the room, it doesn’t grant you being the only voice in the room.

                    • What is and isn’t okay with me is irrelevant. It’s the way things are, and who does and doesn’t take advantage of that is nobody’s fault but their own.

                      Personally, I’d say go for it. It’s how those entertaining shouting matches from the RNC and DNC happened.

      • Democrats are not fascists, though much of Trump’s rhetoric is classically fascist. As is the alt-right.

        The Democrats at this point are a centrist, unity party which is trying to have one foot in identity politics (while doing little to actually help the people it claims to represent) and the other in conservative, neo-liberal fiscal policy, Bush era expansive wars, and spy-state apparatus.

        Both parties are morally and politically bankrupt, thank you very much.

        • Why do you keep insisting I’m black? You realize nobody under 40 including white people agree with you, right?

            • Well, you tell yourself that, because you know that nobody wants or needs you, so you need an excuse to justify your won worth. Your excuses are fabrication, and we both know it. Leaving you with the logical conclusion…

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