While American Sniper seems like an odd fit for Umix, in any film there is probably something to get upset about if you try hard enough: gender roles, sexualizing women, the options are endless. Sometimes it is hard to tell when these concerns are reasonable and not just an overreaction. This distinction can only be found through discussion. What is important about the American Sniper debate is that the initial protesters were not offered a legitimate platform for discussion because they were framed as enemies of free expression for trying to remove the film from Umix. However, it is important to point out that the protesters were not against universities showing films like American Sniper, it was the venue they had a problem with. They seemed to claim that Umix was a setting that limited some students voices more than others. So the debate is really about whether or not students can be expected to engage in this type of discussion without the University's prompting, and I would argue that the evidence seems to suggest we all need some serious help in this regard.
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| Following protests on campus, American Sniper was replaced with less controversial film Paddington |
