A few weeks ago, Turning Point USA, a free-speech and pro-American student group, brought me on a loop of the Northeast. We scheduled three comedy shows over the course of one week. The first stop was the University of Connecticut, aka UConn.
Flights were booked, hotels were bought, rental cars were… well, rented, and everything looked good to go.
However, upon landing in Connecticut, my Turning Point representative informed the team that the administrator in charge of the campus building where I’d be performing had canceled our show at the last minute. She’d just informed TPUSA that, after a deep dive on my social media, she would not be allowing the show to continue.
Apparently, she wasn’t a big fan of my standup routine…
It’s ironic since Turning Point is relatively tame compared to some of the speakers UConn has hosted in the past. (Plus, I’d already performed there in 2017 with no issues!)
Learn the benefits of becoming a Valuetainment Member and subscribe today!
We immediately went to speak with our unobliging host, only to find that she’d “left early on a family emergency.” Luckily, she was able to answer a phone call during this emergency—and what came next was a tense exchange that lasted for over 30 minutes. She referenced her lawyer a few times and eventually switched from complaining about “material she didn’t like” to “safety concerns” – no doubt to avoid complications with our lawyers.
According to this new reason for the cancelation, the school was concerned about the attendance and couldn’t guarantee the safety of the students, which is why our administrator suggested we go do the show elsewhere on campus.
We told her that we’d be happy to review any of the offending jokes, and we even offered to cap the audience size at whatever number made the school comfortable. We also couldn’t help but ask why she’d want us on campus at all if we were so dangerous.
This interaction was captured on film and made into a compelling mini-documentary so that you can see what the average patriot is up against
But here’s the problem: bad ideas that start at the college level don’t just stay there. Within a few short years, they spill out into every major industry and facet of American life.
UConn is one of the largest recipients of government funding in all of Connecticut, and its faculty should feel a duty to uphold the First Amendment…but that hasn’t stopped them. Research from the non-profit Foundation of Individual Rights & Expression (FIRE) found some alarming stats about what goes on at the campus.
UConn is characterized as having a predominantly liberal viewpoint, and a sizeable chunk of the student body thinks it’s acceptable to shout down a speaker they don’t agree with. The data reveals that 6 percent of students consider it always acceptable, while a notable 36 percent believe it is sometimes acceptable.
In contrast, just 24 percent firmly assert that such actions are never acceptable.
A shocking 14 percent of students hold the belief that resorting to violence to stop disagreeable speech is either always or sometimes acceptable.
Indeed, we are their latest victims. Luckily the Catholic Church across the street opened its doors to us with only one request: “Please don’t use the Lord’s name in vain.” We gladly complied.
And while the confusion certainly cut into our attendance, we once again had a safe and enjoyable comedy show with no issues.
When will these campuses stop throwing up arbitrary roadblocks to conservative groups? Not anytime soon. The leadership on campus is more than happy to push one-sided ideology and scoffs at the idea that they’re overstepping any boundaries. Earlier this year, University of Connecticut (UConn) leadership asserted that a bill (H.B. 6567) that would’ve established a campus policy on freedom of expression was “not necessary.”
Keep in mind, while this happened at UConn, this speaks to a much broader problem we are facing on every campus across America. The only way to stop it is to support groups like Turning Point USA.
Oh, and while you’re at it, get a ticket to my upcoming tour on K-vonComedy.com!
Kevan “K-von” Moezzi creates hilarious content for Valuetainment Comedy and is the host of The Right Show. He also tours the nation as a standup comedian. Follow K-von on X.
Add comment