Milo Yiannopoulos, an editor for the far-right news website Breitbart News, will speak at WSU on Thursday. He is unsurprisingly a controversial figure on college campuses.

Over the course of his speaking tour of American universities, “The Dangerous Faggot Tour,” several universities have cancelled Yiannopoulos’ appearances, many of which have sparked protests and interruptions from his opponents. Twitter banned him in July for “inciting or engaging in the targeted abuse or harassment of others.”

The Daily Evergreen Editorial Board does not condone Yiannopoulos’ ideology, but neither our opinions nor those of anyone else should dictate who can and cannot speak at WSU. As a public institution, the university is bound by First Amendment protections for free speech, and rightly so.

While Young Democrats of WSU President Gavin Pielow agrees that Yiannopoulos is “a shrine to controversy” and “a graveyard to progress,” he also believes we should not attempt to suppress his right to free speech. Pielow said he hopes Yiannopoulos’ visit will encourage dialogue between his supporters and opponents, helping them to find areas to improve relations rather than become outraged with one other.

However, we are skeptical Yiannopoulos shares this goal. This is a man who calls himself a provocateur, who delights in “winding up” people he deems thin-skinned. He cares far more about his image than his beliefs. You can only argue so much with a person whose existence is instigation and we do not intend to fuel his ego.

James Allsup, president of the WSU College Republicans, the club sponsoring Yiannopoulos’ visit, said the College Republicans feel that presenting a speaker with extreme views would allow students with similar but less radical beliefs to feel more comfortable expressing their opinions. Allsup also argues, “If you don’t like it, you don’t have to go.”

We agree, if for different reasons. Yiannopoulos wants you to fight him. Rather than give him the attention he feeds on, starve him.

We could have filled this editorial with more productive ways to spend our time than debating Yiannopoulos. But there are several programs, on the day of his visit, which stand out as opportunities to educate ourselves on political and social justice issues.

The Young Democrats of WSU will host a Civics 101 workshop with the Whitman County Democrats from 5 – 7 p.m. in CUE 202 to inform the community about how they can contact their local representatives to express grievances.

Then the 1912 Center in Moscow will host Bystander Training from 7 – 8 p.m. to discuss how to intervene safely in situations of injustice, such as bullying or harassment. You can occupy yourself with these two events while Yiannopoulos speaks from 5 – 8 p.m. and you will have bettered yourself and the world.

If you’re feeling especially productive, the Center for Civic Engagement is holding a public square panel from 3 – 4 p.m. in Butch’s Den Thursday to discuss Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. The panel will debate to what extent we have realized King’s dream of an equal society.

As journalists, we are unrelenting advocates of free speech. We rely on this right to perform our jobs.

We should not silence Yiannopoulos, but we also should not mistake his vanity for conviction and waste our time and energy worrying about a man beyond reason.

The Editorial Board can be contacted at 335-2290 or by [email protected].