Oh, just get OVER yourselves

So there has been yet another furore about a group of juvenile betweeded hacks inviting some controversial speakers to participate in a debate at the Oxford Union. Union president Luke Tryl says he's standing up for free speech, whilst OUSU, Trevor Philips and various OU faith groups have weighed in to condemn him for his flippant insensitivity.

There has been a great deal of coverage of the debate, the demonstrations, and the fracas, as well as various comment pieces either calling for the debate to be cancelled or defending it in the name of free speech. I won't rehearse those arguments here.

What I would like to point out is that students are students, for pity's sake. Their whole point is to irritate the crap out of the rest of us wage slaves by lounging around being drunkenly intellectual at our expense and by saying and doing outrageous things. Any student who has not pissed off at least 20 people by the end of fresher's week is simply not trying hard enough.

So, yes, it was inflammatory to invite two people who hold such offensive views to join in their debate, but no, it is just not important enough for us all to be so worked up about it.