Matt Walsh Issues Epic Response to Attempts to Shut Down His Baylor Event

Conservative commentator Matt Walsh has come under some heavy fire after being slated to speak at Baylor University April 9. Walsh, who is a regular contributor at DailyWire.com, is due to deliver a speech titled, “The War On Reality: Why The Left Has Set Out To Redefine Life, Gender, And Marriage.”

Many students, however, insist that his event should be shelved, labeling him “homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic, and racist.”

The event, organnized by Baylor Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) is set to deal with “controversial and provocative insights into culture, politics, and religion.”

Writing at Baylor’s student newspaper, the Baylor Lariat, student
Michael Agapos explained his reasoning for ripping down posters that promoted Walsh’s event.

“He is welcome to come speak if he wants, but I decided to use my freedom of speech to ensure that he will speak to as empty a room as possible,” Agapos wrote, presumably as justification for his actions.

“I respect the integrity of America’s governmental systems,” Agapos continued. “Allowing self-described fascists to speak on our campus is not allowing them to exercise their freedom of speech; rather, it is allowing one whose relationship to freedom is already dubious a platform to potentially undermine the authority of the U.S. government and Constitution.”

Is Matt Walsh a theocratic fascist?

Seeing as so many Baylor students appear convinced that Walsh, a Catholic Christian, is indeed a theocratic fascist, Walsh himself addressed the absurdity of the accusation head-on in an overtly tongue-in-cheek column.

“I am in fact a theocratic fascist,” he wrote.

“My preferred system of government is a Christian dictatorship with myself at the head of it,” Walsh continued. “From this position of absolute authority, I plan to impose my personal beliefs on the citizenry by force. Strict obedience will be demanded of everyone, except my closest lieutenants whose rampant lawbreaking I will overlook. Anyone who fails to bend to my every whim will be dealt swift and merciless justice.”

Clearly, he was making light of the nonsensical notions put forward by some of his critics. But there is a more serious issue at hand here — namely, the Marxist restriction of free speech on college campuses.

So what does Walsh make of that? Well, in some slightly more sincere comments made to CBN Newswatch, the straight-talking commentator responded to the petitions lodged against his visit.

“I wish I could say I was surprised,” Walsh said of his opponents’ action. “But it’s kind of what you’d expect from Christian universities now. There are a lot of Christian Universities that use that title but don’t seem to really emphasize the Christian Gospel or Christian truth at all anymore.”

Walsh did note, however, that the administrators at Baylor had not crumbled under the pressure and were still planning on letting the civic dialogue go ahead.

As for the event itself, Walsh said he hopes those who disagree with him will still “come and listen” to what he has to say.

What’s at stake on America’s campuses

Expressing concern over the state of free speech on college campuses, Walsh noted that much of this can be traced back the fact that critical thinking skills are almost nonexistant among today’s students.

The “ability to think critically, to engage with an opposing point of view,” is “not being taught in school,” Walsh explained.

The result of this educational deficiency? A new generation of young thinkers who are unable to competently engage with opinions they disagree with.

“Kids are ending up in college and don’t have those skills,” Walsh noted. “So, when they are confronted with an opinion that they disagree with, the only thing they know how to do is to try and shut it down.”

“Unfortunately,” he said, if there is no challenge to this status quo, “we’re just going to see more and more of that.”