Is the West Mall still a place where all speech is welcome?

[bschoolprof 6254]

It's dead Jim.  Nothing like it was in the past (70s/80's/90s).  Now it's just clubs and "vote for this dipshit" signs.  

I think it's mainly due to the younger generation not caring as much about social/political issues, and those that do just engage online or via social media.

[TexasBeta 1261]

If it means not having that eyesore shanty outside the UGL I'm okay with less (fewer) free speech.

I hear the shanty attracts golf carts that tend to crash into them, late at night, driven by inebriated fraternity dudes. Or so I’ve been told.

[DaysOff 7951]

High School acquaintance got arrested trying to tear it down with his bare hands one night. His first name is doctor now and even practiced with one of the Simkins 85 guys.

[JerrysJheriCurl 977]

I remember getting fried rice and some Indian bread at various carts.

That ham & cheese Indian bread slammed so hard. $1.25 of pure deliciousness. 

Can’t find those carts anymore. I haz a sad. 

[GW Hayduke 1953]

1 hour ago, PRONG HORN said:

 

Wow these two who gave your post the bird must be really fun posters.  They hate free speech so much that you aren't even allowed to have an opinion about free speech.  How does this trigger the kids of today so much?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Telling someone "fuck you" isn't stopping them from having an opinion about free speech.  I get it might hurt someone's feelings.  But hurt feelings, isn't stopping them from having an opinion about free speech.  

[Sawbonz 27564]

1 hour ago, DaysOff said:

If it means not having that eyesore shanty outside the UGL I'm okay with less (fewer) free speech.

I thought the shanty was to protest apartheid in South Africa. Did it change to something else after that ended?

[DaysOff 7951]

Not that I'm aware of, but an eyesore nevertheless. I like clean lines and clean public spaces.

[Goredho 17406]

7 hours ago, conVINCEd said:

Social media has eliminated the need for a physical location where people can express their idiotic opinions.

For an idiotic opinion expressed in social media, this is pretty fucking spot on.

[Js1 85342]

32 minutes ago, Goredho said:

For an idiotic opinion expressed in social media, this is pretty fucking spot on.

But it’s OUR social media

[crash_davis 23113]

3 hours ago, JerrysJheriCurl said:

I remember getting fried rice and some Indian bread at various carts.

That ham & cheese Indian bread slammed so hard. $1.25 of pure deliciousness. 

Can’t find those carts anymore. I haz a sad. 

that eggroll cart got busted for fencing stolen shit. guess you can't really make a profit on $1 eggrolls.

[NAVY 6740]

3 hours ago, JerrysJheriCurl said:

I remember getting fried rice and some Indian bread at various carts.

That ham & cheese Indian bread slammed so hard. $1.25 of pure deliciousness. 

Can’t find those carts anymore. I haz a sad. 

Este 

Those carts rocked. Ground up pickled jalapeño for hot sauce all over the rice. Gott damn a man could live large on a handful of change. 

Cart by PCL / undergrad business was my daily 

[Neonmoon 38129]

16 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

that eggroll cart got busted for fencing stolen shit. guess you can't really make a profit on $1 eggrolls.

I thought they were dealing the drugs 

[conVINCEd 21469]

4 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

I thought they were dealing the drugs 

[JerrysJheriCurl 977]

10 hours ago, NAVY said:

Este 

Those carts rocked. Ground up pickled jalapeño for hot sauce all over the rice. Gott damn a man could live large on a handful of change. 

Cart by PCL / undergrad business was my daily 

Man, we had the world by the short and curlies back then… and within budget. 

Dont even get me started on the $.59, $.79, $.99 menu at Taco Bell. 3 hard tacos, a bean and cheese burrito no sauce no onion, a tostada/chalupa and a nachos all for under $5. 
Later that evening invite over that good looking Harlingen chica from E316 class, who was at Tejano night last Thursday at the Union.

You know the one. Cute face, little waist and thiccer than a 32 oz jar of cold Peter Pan peanut butter. 
Order some Pizza Classics. $4.99 large pepperoni, so she can have some eats. And wash it down with some Boone’s Farm. Fuzzy Navel and Blue Hawaiian, $1.12 each, providing the social lubrication. 

You’re all in for around $7.50. Nothing left but to play some Bus Driver with the remaining alcohol and work on your spit game and seduction techniques, whilst a Jodeci Forever My Lady CD is providing the background.

Memory lane on the 40 doesn’t involve West Mall pseudo-intellectual, sophomoric cacophonous babble, by dudes in Red Wing boots. 
Was too busy trying to do my best mestizo Wilt Chamberlain-Genghis Khan impersonation. 

Different strokes for different folks. Priorities man. Priorities.

Edited March 22, 2022 by JerrysJheriCurl

[Guest Lobo]

You should go about that out a bullhorn on west mall today.  I’d love the see student reactions. Great rant 

[TurkeyChew 383]

I walked the West Mall everyday for 4.5 years and I have no idea what this "shanty" you guys are talking about is.

[DaysOff 7951]

God damn new army.

[Par4 146]

My primary memories of the West Mall were:

1. The 1990 frat protests and general discontent led by student body president Toni Luckett

(https://notevenpast.org/we-dont-have-to-boo-it-uts-black-lesbian-student-government-president/)

2. Happening upon Poi Dog Pondering sitting around the fountain jamming on a sunny afternoon. Although they were mostly a bunch of stinky hippies, I enjoyed their music. 

 

[crash_davis 23113]

34 minutes ago, Par4 said:

 

2. Happening upon Poi Dog Pondering sitting around the fountain jamming on a sunny afternoon. Although they were mostly a bunch of stinky hippies, I enjoyed their music. 

 

holy fuck. i haven't heard that name in decades. i can't remember any of their songs.

watching their songs/videos on youtube.

wow, they sucked.

[Par4 146]

7 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

holy fuck. i haven't heard that name in decades. i can't remember any of their songs.

watching their songs/videos on youtube.

wow, they sucked.

Maybe a couple of decent songs. Check "Complicated". Mostly jam band nonsense though. 

 

[High Plains Drifter 11049]

 

I used to take my daily noon dump on on the third floor of the architecture building. If the weather was nice, the windows would be open and I could sit and listen to all the hubbub on the west mall during the noon hour.

 

my eggroll stand go to was on the corner of Dean Keeton (nee 26th) and speedway, the same corner as RLM. Went like this:

 

Me: Fried rice please

eggroll guy: and

Me: Lemonade

eggroll guy: and

Me: ok, egg roll

eggroll guy: and

Me: that's all

eggroll guy: and

Me: no, that's all I want

eggroll guy: and

Me: no more

eggroll guy: four dollar

 

 

 

[Guest Lobo]

actually, I kinda liked Poi Dog Pondering back in the day.  I vaguely remember they oscillated between Austin and Chicago for many years.  I think they still do, or at least up until Covid-19.  They played a little show at Cactus Cafe a few years back that I caught for nostalgia.  Same thing with the BoDeans.  They formed in Waukesha, WI (NoCR!), but mainly based in Chicago.  Then some of the guys moved out to Austin/Hill Country.  They also played a "intimate" show at Cactus Cafe a few years back, that was a good show! 

But yeah, when I think of those bands, I think of "College Rock."  I remember reading that poll on the backpage of Rolling Stone in high school and thinking, "What the fuck is college rock?"  But bands like this were it.  I finally got it when I got to college, I sorta got it.  The kinda bands you'd find jamming on your campus in the middle of the day.  You don't hear much of that music genre anymore, at least I don't.  As stated so many times above, memories of a college experience lost to time.  Shit, I asked somebody the other day why they don't bring back Forty Acres Fest?  And they looked at me like I was insane.  The Black Pumas the other night was awesome though.  To see big live music on the south mall again after decades was so fucking cool.  

Anyway, here's to marginal music and cheap egg rolls and that chick Monica who said, "Yeah, I'll try it back there."  

[dcbc 14484]

1 hour ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

I used to take my daily noon dump on on the third floor of the architecture building. If the weather was nice, the windows would be open and I could sit and listen to all the hubbub on the west mall during the noon hour.

 

my eggroll stand go to was on the corner of Dean Keeton (nee 26th) and speedway, the same corner as RLM. Went like this:

 

Me: Fried rice please

eggroll guy: and

Me: Lemonade

eggroll guy: and

Me: ok, egg roll

eggroll guy: and

Me: that's all

eggroll guy: and

Me: no, that's all I want

eggroll guy: and

Me: no more

eggroll guy: four dollar

 

 

 

That was my go-to eggroll stand as well.  Remember it well.

[Guest Lobo]

Here's a good example of how you can see if "West Mall Speech" is still a thing.  It's this evening at Rowling Hall if y'all wanna come by, we can grab a beer afterwards.  

UT Global Sustainability Leadership Institute is hosting a talk about institutional ESG investing.  Timely topic right?  Gets all the feel-good climate change students out to figure out how to use Wall Street to promote social justice and what-not.  Here's the kicker...the featured speaker is Blackrock's Managing Director.  So here's a conundrum, even if you don't their motives, their ties to China, they're rubbing up to the FED, our students who can do math can't deny---due to scale, nobody can move the needle on ESG investing like Blackrock.  I think this is gonna bring an interesting blend of faculty and students out to hear Mr. Cameron.  I suspect it will be respectful and filled with insightful questions.  But there's always one shitbag in every crowd who wants to feel like they owned the other side in person.  Won't be me, I'll be hanging in the back.  But come by after work, 6:00p. 

[gmr548 16580]

This hasn’t existed for years.
Different points of view are no longer respected or allowed. New generations cancel anyone that goes against the grain whether right, wrong, agree, disagree, etc.
New generations are known for killing the 1st amendment right.
“I Disapprove of What You Say, But I Will Defend to the Death Your Right to Say It”
While I respect the view of anyone or anything, I may not like it but I will not ever be in a position to disallow it.
I always loved UT for the difference in perspectives and the freedom of thought. Sadly, I certainly don’t see the same occurring in this day and age.

Lmao take your victim complex back to texags, good lord.

[Serak The Preparer 3431]

20 hours ago, PRONG HORN said:

 

Wow these two who gave your post the bird must be really fun posters.  They hate free speech so much that you aren't even allowed to have an opinion about free speech.  How does this trigger the kids of today so much?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lol, if some old dude at a party states "New generations are known for killing the 1st amendment right" then you are goddamn right I'm going to say fuck you. That opinion is just as stupid as you thinking that somehow my "fuck you" is not allowing an opinion about free speech. Or are you somehow trying to stop my opinion about free speech?

[PRONG HORN 3146]

1 hour ago, Serak The Preparer said:

Lol, if some old dude at a party states "New generations are known for killing the 1st amendment right" then you are goddamn right I'm going to say fuck you. That opinion is just as stupid as you thinking that somehow my "fuck you" is not allowing an opinion about free speech. Or are you somehow trying to stop my opinion about free speech?

 

This style of conversation interaction of yours is definitely a stop along the way during someone's journey toward improving their productive discourse.  No offense, but I used to be an internet warrior too.  I still am sometimes.  Lots of younger people today are more in favor of a hive minded mentality and find things like freedom of expression related to speech as being less useful than it used to be.  There is no scarcity of evidence of this.  This is not a new revelation and can be found from both liberal and conservative viewpoints. 

 

[Serak The Preparer 3431]

1 hour ago, PRONG HORN said:

 

This style of conversation interaction of yours is definitely a stop along the way during someone's journey toward improving their productive discourse.  No offense, but I used to be an internet warrior too.  I still am sometimes.  Lots of younger people today are more in favor of a hive minded mentality and find things like freedom of expression related to speech as being less useful than it used to be.  There is no scarcity of evidence of this.  This is not a new revelation and can be found from both liberal and conservative viewpoints. 

 

Ah. so your example of NOT being an internet warrior, of improving productive discourse, is claiming that I "hate free speech so much that you aren't even allowed to have an opinion about free speech".

Got it.

[Beau Vine 54230]

I walked through the TxSt quad today, and there was an old dude set up with a table looking like some elderly Steven Crowder.  He had a cardboard sign on the table that said "Today's Specials:"

#1 below that was "Dad advice" and I didn't even see #2-5.

There was no one around his table, and I didn't stop to talk, because 1) I didn't need Dad advice, but mainly because 2) I was walking my dog, and was in a hurry to get to where the sororities set up so that all the girls could fawn over her.

[Guest Lobo]

The guy had a sign up which said “dad advice” at Texas State sorority row?  And you thought your dog would fetch more interest at Texas State sorority girls?  
 

I suspect neither of you realize you’re both playing the same game on the same pitch 

[PRONG HORN 3146]

4 hours ago, Serak The Preparer said:

Lol, if some old dude at a party states "New generations are known for killing the 1st amendment right" then you are goddamn right I'm going to say fuck you. 

 

What if some young dude said it?

 

22 minutes ago, Serak The Preparer said:

Ah. so your example of NOT being an internet warrior, of improving productive discourse, is claiming that I "hate free speech so much that you aren't even allowed to have an opinion about free speech".

Got it.

 

You had to bring out the fu icon without ever thinking about if you were right or wrong.  There's lots of news both fake and real about younger people devaluing free speech.  

 

[52-80 19159]

3 minutes ago, PRONG HORN said:

You had to bring out the fu icon without ever thinking about if you were right or wrong.  There's lots of news both fake and real about younger people devaluing free speech. 

It's not an age thing.  Angry people only want Me Speech.

[Serak The Preparer 3431]

14 minutes ago, PRONG HORN said:

 

What if some young dude said it?

 

 

You had to bring out the fu icon without ever thinking about if you were right or wrong.  There's lots of news both fake and real about younger people devaluing free speech.  

 

If a young dude said it then I would also think it's stupid. Because there is no right or wrong about "New generations are known for killing the 1st amendment right". It's just wrong, unless you can tell me some of the many times that the government has limited the 1st amendment at the behest of the younger generation.

[Deej 76796]

The apartheid shack, the little store close to Tri-Towers that sold rastafarian shit, the dude that made and sold t-shirts out of that tiny little space next to the Co-Op, everyone with their "Free Nelson Mandela" t-shirts, Twang Twang Shock-a-Boom out on the west mall most days...funny the trivial shit you remember. 

[conVINCEd 21469]

3 minutes ago, Deej said:

The apartheid shack, the little store close to Tri-Towers that sold rastafarian shit, the dude that made and sold t-shirts out of that tiny little space next to the Co-Op, everyone with their "Free Nelson Mandela" t-shirts, Twang Twang Shock-a-Boom out on the west mall most days...funny the trivial shit you remember. 

Those Free Nelson Mandela folks played the long game and succeeded.

[StassneyHorn 6577]

Haven’t been on campus since ‘11 but West Mall was a mix of religious people trying to convince you to be virgins, social/service groups wanting you to go to a fundraiser of theirs or YCT doing some painfully racist shit like catch an illegal day or teabagging Obama by putting tea bags on him when everyone’s dad started cosplaying as Patriots in ‘09. All the “look at these Abortion pictures” people moved to speedway.

 

can’t forget the free Palestine, Middle East groups, and Jewish shouting matches on the six pack.

Edited March 22, 2022 by StassneyHorn

[Caponata 151]

On 3/21/2022 at 8:08 AM, Js1 said:

People have a right to say whatever they want.  Students also don't have to listen or tolerate it on their campus if they don't want it.  It's may be a right to say what you want, but there is not a right to be given a platform or force people to listen. 

I don't remember people protesting speakers when I was in college. Like I can't imagine being 20 years old on a Saturday night & wanting to go protest Ben Shapiro or whatever right wing clown instead of trying to get drunk & laid.

[Guest Lobo]

1 minute ago, Caponata said:

I don't remember people protesting speakers when I was in college. Like I can't imagine being 20 years old on a Saturday night & wanting to go protest Ben Shapiro or whatever right wing clown instead of trying to get drunk & laid.

I can’t imagine being 20 years old and being one of the 300 students that signed a petition so that they could attend a Ben Shapiro talk on a Saturday night.  But I’m no events expert.  
 

huge turnout for this Blackrock ESG event right now.  Everybody being cool because “ideas”

[Js1 85342]

Both of those are correct takes 

[DaggerHorns 3085]

7 hours ago, gmr548 said:

Lmao take your victim complex back to texags, good lord.

I reference UT, freedom of speech & thought, and respecting people’s opinions.

You reference texags.

You’re dumber than shit smashed with a club.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Look, I just fed, bathed and put to bed two kids under the age of 7. I am exhausted, so I’m skipping a bunch of replies. But the first thing I thought of when I saw this threads was the batshit crazy religious nut job that would visit the west mall and other “free speech” areas of other universities in the mid 90s. I can’t remember his name. I am sure one of y’all can point me to some videos on YouTube. Fuck that guy. Free speech is great, but it doesn’t magically make you smart nor right.

[Bullneck 19095]

On 3/21/2022 at 11:20 AM, Brisketexan said:

I remember the street preacher dude who had a catch phrase of "because they were.....FOOOOOORNICATING!"  We loved that guy.

I remember the street preacher dude getting a job selling cookies and multi-tasking cookie sales and preaching.  

[Neonmoon 38129]

51 minutes ago, DaggerHorns said:

I reference UT, freedom of speech & thought, and respecting people’s opinions.

You reference texags.

You’re dumber than shit smashed with a club.

The University of Texas, and this website, are still bastions of free speech. In no way, was either place, sanctuaries where everyone respected each other’s opinions. Free speech means you’re allowed to have an opinion and another person is allowed to say that is dumb. It doesn’t mean they are canceling your free speech, they’re just disagreeing with you. In some cases, yes, trying to shame or shun you for having shitty opinions. That’s their right. Oh this website you can be crowdsourced for having shitty opinions. In public, you can be shamed if a larger majority wants to do so. 

I remember 25 years ago when we would tell the abortion nutjobs to fuck off on the West Mall. We were both exercising our right to free speech, but in no way was I respecting their opinion. I only respected their right to express it. 

 

 

[Guest Lobo]

Well, to split hairs.  This site and the University of Texas are two rather different examples of free speech expression, free speech platforms, and (possible) free speech repression.  This is just another proxy thread of protecting stupid.  

If y'all want to discuss how it was on campus when we were there, how it is now, and what it could be like going forward...I think that's a valid topic of discussion.  Every goddamn incoming class for 140 years has heard the same fucking thing, over and over and over again.  "You kids today, no respect for the constitution and the traditions and what made this country great."  Get an original fucking take at least.  Take some action on campus.  Man up and get in the arena of debate.  Get engaged in your alma mater.  It's not like how you think it is. 

Just be honest, it's not a campus entirely composed of 4th generation White Longhorns from the same 17 high schools, in matching outfits, spouting the same shit their parents did.  And that bothers people.  I assure you, in almost every conceivable way, the campus is better now.  And it is wildly more open to vigorous debate than it was when we were there.  There's no lockdown on free speech.  Of course it tilts liberal, it's a fucking college of 50,000 naive 20 year olds.  Are you fucking new to Planet Earth?  But the exchange of ideas and policy and critical thought are so much more diverse and robust than some of you fucking stupids can conceive.  Just come to a few things, engage the students, in a couple hours...you'll realize, "Oh shit, they're getting their fact patterns from like books and dialogue and asking questions 'n shit?  Fuck me.  Why aren't there any TV's in the classrooms turned on?"  

Sometimes I wonder why we're still not a clear Top 5-10 Public?  Then I read this like this thread.  "Meh, why are they censoring things now that I whined about 25 years ago?"  It's 'cause you're stupid.  You were stupid then, and nothing changed except the sheepskin behind you on Zoom.  Just get more engaged on campus.  You're not entitled to bitch until you do, IMO.  

Edited March 23, 2022 by Lobo

[DaggerHorns 3085]

15 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

The University of Texas, and this website, are still bastions of free speech. In no way, was either place, sanctuaries where everyone respected each other’s opinions. Free speech means you’re allowed to have an opinion and another person is allowed to say that is dumb. It doesn’t mean they are canceling your free speech, they’re just disagreeing with you. In some cases, yes, trying to shame or shun you for having shitty opinions. That’s their right. Oh this website you can be crowdsourced for having shitty opinions. In public, you can be shamed if a larger majority wants to do so. 

I remember 25 years ago when we would tell the abortion nutjobs to fuck off on the West Mall. We were both exercising our right to free speech, but in no way was I respecting their opinion. I only respected their right to express it. 

 

 

I already stated most of what you said in less words. I’ll simplify my post since your reading comprehension sucks. How do I compare to texags?

[mchookem 16336]

i have enjoyed all the strolls down memory lane in this thread...thank you, gentlemen. 

i confess i had no idea you could get drugs at the indian bread cart...but 30 years later and that might explain a few interesting interactions 🤣 but...it's probably best i didn't know. ahem. 

this thread, and there was some other thread about Dirty's and everybody got to talking about there, Players, Mad Dog & Beans, Posse East, Crown&Anchor, etc. etc....that thread is awesome too. 

man, i'll be moving out of state in like two months or something (hopefully)...been here since 88...making my list of places to hit up one last time...starting to feel verrrrry nostalgic...

hook 'em 🤘

[Neonmoon 38129]

On 3/21/2022 at 10:17 AM, DaggerHorns said:

This hasn’t existed for years.

Different points of view are no longer respected or allowed. New generations cancel anyone that goes against the grain whether right, wrong, agree, disagree, etc.

New generations are known for killing the 1st amendment right.

“I Disapprove of What You Say, But I Will Defend to the Death Your Right to Say It”

While I respect the view of anyone or anything, I may not like it but I will not ever be in a position to disallow it.

I always loved UT for the difference in perspectives and the freedom of thought. Sadly, I certainly don’t see the same occurring in this day and age.

 

17 minutes ago, DaggerHorns said:

I already stated most of what you said in less words. I’ll simplify my post since your reading comprehension sucks. How do I compare to texags?

You compare to Texags because your original post reeked of their infamous persecution complex. Newer generations are not killing the first amendment. Free speech isn’t being cancelled. Different perspectives are allowed. There is no need for the poor me, old army, take my ball and go home post. 

 

[Blotto 23517]

If there was a particularly boisterous crowd around a table, we would amuse ourselves by blending in on the margins and pretend like we were part of the "cause" and just go way off script. We were usually stoned. 

[phdhorn 6224]

Even before I got to the blah blah blah of this thread, I found the question in the OP somewhat irrelevant.  This is before most of our time, but some time in the 70's, the West Mall, which was a big blank plaza, was "reconstructed" with those giant flower boxes or tree bed things, or whatever.  By doing so, they knocked out 2/3 of the West Mall space.  You think they did that for "decoration?"  No, they did it so students had a more difficult time congregating there.  Sure they still had their little rallies and stuff but it was nothing compared to the Vietnam era ones, when crowds spilled out onto the Drag, frequently blocking it.  So, today you see this instead of an empty large plaza:



While it existed before/when I got there, older timers told me repeatedly of how they did it after the demonstrations in the 60's - it was common knowledge.  So the question is already answered.

The West Mall stopped welcoming free speech, and built stuff to inhibit it, long before any of us got there.

[DigglerontheHoof 21200]

I mostly recall the SA Shanty battles from the mid 80s.  Anti-apartheid groups put it up and folks who I can only assume were pro-apartheid would tear it down.  Wash, rinse, repeat.