The last we heard about Milo Yiannopoulos he had slunk away in disgrace, having had an old video of him surfaced that showed the right-wing provocateur seemingly to endorse gay sex with 13-year-olds. He lost a book deal, prime speaking gigs, and was obliged to quit his position at Breitbart. Now, according to the Hollywood Reporter, Milo is plotting a comeback. We have uc berkeley and Ann Coulter to thank for it.
The dust-up between Coulter and Berkeley has been well covered by the media. The University rescinded and then reinstated Coulter’s invitation to speak on campus, but with conditions that the conservative writer found to be unacceptable. She still plans to show up on campus on the day originally agreed to and at a venue of her choosing. If the University tries to physically stop her or if the Antifa rioters launch an attack, what follows will be lovingly recorded by video cameras from all angles.
Milo, sensing an opportunity to make trouble, has decided to join in on making UC Berkeley a battleground (perhaps literally) for free speech.
He has vowed to bring “activists, writers, artists, politicians, YouTubers, veterans and drag queens from across the ideological spectrum to lecture, march and party," When this Free Speech Woodstock is to occur is uncertain, but Milo has made a reference to “Cinco de Milo” suggesting May 5 as the date.
Yiannopoulos, as can be remembered, attempted to speak on the Berkeley campus earlier this year, only to be obliged to leave when black-clad and masked rioters started breaking windows, throwing rocks, and setting fires. At that time, albeit briefly, he became a nationwide hero for free speech, at least until the tape came out, proving that there are limits, at least in the court of popular opinion, for what one might say.
The town of Berkeley and the University that was such a venue for student unrest in the 1960s has gotten itself in the position of being an epicenter for a war over the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Free speech is under assault on too many college campuses with the rioter’s veto” being employed to shut people up. A culture of safe spaces and trigger warnings has arisen to shield young people from opinions and experiences. No longer are many Universities the center of ideas, no matter how provocative. Now, however, people like Ann Coulter and milo yiannopoulos, quite experienced in the art of provocation, are pushing back. The result is likely to get ugly and violent, however.