Welcome to Inside Voices, a weekly newsletter that features a collection of ideas, perspectives and solutions from across Utah — without any of the vitriol or yelling that’s become all too common on other platforms. Subscribe here.
Richard Price, a political science professor at Weber State University, has spent over a decade studying censorship in the United States. It’s his life’s work.
So it was disorienting recently when — two days before a campus conference on censorship — his university admins told participants not to “describe legislation or policies that take a side.“
“I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity,” Price writes. “I am a political scientist whose career has been built on understanding the political and ideological underpinnings of censorship. Yet I was told not to talk about politics.”
As it’s currently Banned Books Week, Price’s anecdote feels particularly poignant. This weekend, the Wasatch Festival of Books’ keynote panel (called Reading Freely) will discuss censorship and how it’s playing out in modern society.
Of note: The panel will be moderated by Tribune politics reporter Robert Gehrke and feature young-adult author Ellen Hopkins, who holds the distinction of being the “Most Banned Author in America.”
If you are concerned about the rise of censorship in America, or just love to geek out with book-loving folks, you should definitely try to make it!
And let me know: What happens to education — and free speech — when people can’t say what they want or discuss where facts lead?
— Sam Morse, Newsletter Editor
Utah Voices
New SLC ordinance unfairly targets LGBTQ+ spaces
“The recent Salt Lake City ordinance that restricts alcohol consumption between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. indirectly targets marginalized communities that frequent late-night gatherings, including the LGBTQ+ community,” writes Levi Dias, of Salt Lake City. “As a queer man, this seems like an attack. Queer spaces in a conservative, largely Republican state are already limited as they are; now, events that cater to the community are at risk of dissolution. Late-night events like FERVOR, ¡Dyked!, and others have led to the cultural expression and gathering of SLC’s marginalized communities.”
Our leaders’ rhetoric of violence is creating a more violent America
“As our country descends into a year of unprecedented violence (more mass shootings than days in the year), I wonder if anyone thinks that the actions at the top are trickling down?” asks Sarah Buck, of Salt Lake City. “This month our Department of Defense was renamed the Department of War. The Department of War is now being used in American cities against American citizens. This week’s quote from our president, ‘They spit, we hit.’ He went on to suggest that dangerous cities be used as training for our military. … Using the military in this way is not normal, nor is skipping due process normal. Add to this the talk of retribution and hate speech and, well, it seems to me America is following its leaders.”
Gun activists say we can’t take the rights of the majority away because of a few bad actors. OK. Let’s apply that to health care.
“I’ve listened to our GOP leaders cry foul over what they call abuse of our health care system by a minority group that doesn’t pay into it but gets all the benefits,” writes Jack Wise, of Salt Lake City. “The opposite is true. Undocumented workers cannot receive the tax subsidies the Republicans are calling for defunding, and often still pay the taxes that support it.”
Trump and Hegseth’s attempt to politicize the military was truly unhinged
“Secretary Hegseth demonstrated his command presence like he was addressing a platoon of soldiers,” writes Don Hiddleson, of Millcreek. “He gave a fiery pep talk about a ‘warrior ethic’ and alluded to ignoring established rules of engagement. He was berating his audience in a public setting instead of praising them. …Congress must do its job as an equal branch of government instead of enabling Trump to become a dictator. We all know that is his goal. Trump’s language of insults, grandiosity and gibberish show his patent fragility. A universal public display of protest would be his undoing.”
We must get past the dehumanizing “us vs. them” mindset
“When the people who are supposed to be informing us, representing us, influencing us refer to our fellow human beings as ‘they’ or ‘them’ it dehumanizes our fellow man,” writes Curtis McCiff, of Kanab. “A nameless, faceless, soulless entity is easy to hate. If we are referred to as the worst of a political group it is no wonder that violence happens. Nameless, faceless humans are not the worst of us but people with families, hopes and dreams and if the people who were elected to represent us won’t lead the way to talking about ‘us’ and ‘we’ who will?”
Share Your Perspective
The tension between wildland conservation and resource exploitation for the sake of economic growth is a tale as old as time — especially in Utah.
Even more so today … with the Trump Administration recently opening thousands of acres to coal mining directly adjacent to beloved public lands like Zion, Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef national parks.
All that said, what are your thoughts on mining being so close to Utah’s national parks?
From Bagley’s Desk
Drop Us a Note