By: Mat
McGowan
HIGH POINT
- Free food is always an intriguing proposition to people, especially college
students.
The normal thought process of a college student when offered free food, if any, is probably wondering what the catch is. They probably think they have to read some type of pamphlet or listen to a speaker talk about something boring and uninteresting and they can collect their food without charge and be on their merry way.
However this was not the case in this years First Amendment Free Food Festival hosted by professor Bobby Hayes and the Society of Professional Journalists, or SPJ.
The normal thought process of a college student when offered free food, if any, is probably wondering what the catch is. They probably think they have to read some type of pamphlet or listen to a speaker talk about something boring and uninteresting and they can collect their food without charge and be on their merry way.
However this was not the case in this years First Amendment Free Food Festival hosted by professor Bobby Hayes and the Society of Professional Journalists, or SPJ.
Students
were informed that they would receive free food and all they had to do was sign
away their first amendment rights, which include freedom of speech, religion,
press, petition, and assembly.
Seems straightforward right?
What was interesting was that some students thought that the first amendment rights only limited their freedom of speech and really did not know what the first amendment was.
According to the CPJ website, the most censored countries are North Korea, Burma, Turkmenistan, Equatorial Guinea, and Libya.
Seems straightforward right?
What was interesting was that some students thought that the first amendment rights only limited their freedom of speech and really did not know what the first amendment was.
According to the CPJ website, the most censored countries are North Korea, Burma, Turkmenistan, Equatorial Guinea, and Libya.
Throughout
the event Professor Hayes and his squad of “goons” reprimanded people for
things they were not allowed to do and made lunch, usually a rather easy daily
task, into a very difficult and stressful one.
What is the point?
What is the point?
The
significance of this event was to make students more appreciative of their
first amendment right, and even more aware of them as well, especially for journalists.
When students who participated in the event were asked how they felt about what was occurring, they said that they were not having much fun at all and that they took many aspects of their first amendment right for granted, like simply eating with their friends.
Not only did this impact the students partaking in the event but it also impacted the staff as well. The staff that was in charge of making sure that students did not have any first amendment rights felt bad for the people who had been stripped of their rights and did not want to be in their position.
Who Participated?
When students who participated in the event were asked how they felt about what was occurring, they said that they were not having much fun at all and that they took many aspects of their first amendment right for granted, like simply eating with their friends.
Not only did this impact the students partaking in the event but it also impacted the staff as well. The staff that was in charge of making sure that students did not have any first amendment rights felt bad for the people who had been stripped of their rights and did not want to be in their position.
Who Participated?
Dr. Hayes
allotted 50 slots for students to sign up and participate in this even and 25
signed up. Granted 25 students is neither a lot or a little, there were
significantly more than 25 students that were impacted by this event.
Many students who inquired about what the First Amendment Free Food Festival entailed immediately said, “No thanks”, after hearing that they would have to sign away their first amendment rights. If the goal of this even was to raise awareness and appreciation of the first amendment rights, then that task is completed simply in that interaction. The student who valued his or her first amendment rights so much that they weren’t willing to sign them away for an hour probably has a greater appreciation of them merely because he/she can go sit and eat in the company of friends. Surely the people who participated in this experiment enjoyed their next meal with friends a little bit more than usual.
Many students who inquired about what the First Amendment Free Food Festival entailed immediately said, “No thanks”, after hearing that they would have to sign away their first amendment rights. If the goal of this even was to raise awareness and appreciation of the first amendment rights, then that task is completed simply in that interaction. The student who valued his or her first amendment rights so much that they weren’t willing to sign them away for an hour probably has a greater appreciation of them merely because he/she can go sit and eat in the company of friends. Surely the people who participated in this experiment enjoyed their next meal with friends a little bit more than usual.
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