Free Speech Fridays

PACE Presents: Free Speech Fridays

Free Speech Fridays offer us the opportunity to put our First Amendment free speech rights into action. Sessions focus on controversial issues of wide interest and are free and open to the public. Our goal is to facilitate passionate but civil discussion that can empower participants to think for themselves. Free Speech Fridays provide one way that PACE, in the words of the program’s vision statement, “cultivates knowledge, develops leadership, and builds communication skills to prepare members of the IU community to take action for positive change.” Join us!

Guidelines for Free Speech Friday discussions:

  • All views are welcome, but please do your best to keep your comments civil, respectful, and focused on the content of the ideas raised and not the people who have raised them.
  • Listen to understand
  • Listen for common ground
  • When you disagree, do so with curiosity, not hostility
  • Refrain from interrupting
  • Keep your comments brief to maximize the participation of all speakers

Next Free Speech Friday

Friday, Apr. 28, 2023: Should There Be a Maximum Age Limit for Politicians?
Woodburn Hall 009, 12:00-1:00 p.m.

On Tuesday April 25, President Biden formally announced that he will seek a second term. If he were to win in 2024, Biden would be inaugurated at the age of 82, succeeding himself as (already) the oldest president in US history. The prospect of the two oldest presidents in a 2024 rematch (Trump entered office at age 70, until Biden the oldest in US history) has raised an obvious question: should there be a maximum age limit for politicians? Critics of Biden, and even Democratic supporters who wish the party could put forward a younger, more dynamic candidate, are sympathetic to the idea. Polls show that a majority of voters in both parties favor an age limit. The Constitution already sets minimum limits for federal office (25 for representatives, 30 for senators, and 35 for president). What are the pros and cons of an upper age limit? Is it an anti-democratic idea? Does aging affect the ability to provide political leadership? Would a maximum age for entering office strengthen American democracy?

Please join us for the discussion!

https://katiecouric.com/news/politics-and-policy/maximum-age-limits-for-politicians/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/elected-officials-maximum-age-limits-opinion-poll-2022-09-08/

https://www.shortform.com/blog/age-limits-for-politicians/

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/a-maximum-age-for-politicians-wont-fix-our-government

https://www.aei.org/op-eds/stirewaltisms-its-time-for-an-age-limit-for-federal-office/

https://www.npr.org/2022/11/20/1137756874/biden-turns-80-birthday-age

https://theconversation.com/80-is-different-in-2023-than-in-1776-but-even-back-then-a-grizzled-franklin-led-alongside-a-young-hamilton-202812?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Newsletter%20Version%20B%20April%2025%202023&utm_content=Daily%20Newsletter%20Version%20B%20April%2025%202023+CID_1a34723e1b9c03b9c795c45231b3f6c4&utm_source=campaign_monitor_us&utm_term=80%20is%20different%20in%202023%20than%20in%201776%20%20but%20even%20back%20then%20a%20grizzled%20Franklin%20led%20alongside%20a%20young%20Hamilton

 

UPCOMING FREE SPEECH FRIDAYS:

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Contact us

Carl Weinberg
Teaching Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
Adjunct Associate Professor, Dept. of History
Director, PACE Institute for Role-Immersive Teaching and Learning (PIRTL)
812-856-5111
crweinbe@indiana.edu