Can criticism go too far?

The hubbub over Michael Moore's appearance at Utah Valley State College this week was about (in alphabetical order): academic freedom, community values, democracy, free speech, impressionable minds, money, politics, propaganda, taxes and truth. That's a tall order for a speech delivered by a man in a baseball cap, but in fact Moore has raised complex issues as well as hackles with his movie "Fahrenheit 9/11" and his visit to UVSC.

At the core of the monthlong debate over Moore's sold-out appearance Wednesday was what might be called the ethics of dissent and its attendant questions: What kind of dissent is acceptable? When and from what sources? Is it ethical to speak out against an ongoing war and a wartime president? Is it ethical to prevent unpopular opinions from being heard? What if you think those opinions have distorted the truth?

"Fahrenheit 9/11" takes a critical view of President Bush's 2000 election, his ties to the Saudi royal family and his decision to go to war with Iraq. Earlier this fall, UVSC's student government invited Moore to speak on campus, an invitation that generated hundreds of letters to the editor, a petition to recall student body leaders and to cancel the event, and the Oct. 11 appearance of conservative talk-show host Sean Hannity as an antidote to Moore's liberal ideas.

Some people don't believe student fees should have been used to pay for the visit (the cost is about $50,000 when transportation costs are factored in; about $35,000 was raised in ticket sales to offset these costs), and earlier this week two people filed a lawsuit to prevent the college from paying Moore. Some critics don't believe his rhetoric has a place at a state school in a conservative city like Orem, and some find his documentary false and incendiary. "Why not ask Osama bin Laden to speak next year?" asked one Deseret Morning News reader. "Treason," argued another about Moore's views.

Dissent, particularly during a time of heightened tension about the war and the presidential election, creates discomfort. But that's precisely why it needs to be spoken and heard, says Reece Newman, president of the newly formed discussion group Questioning Minds, which meets monthly in Salt Lake City. "My view is that the mainstream press covered the war in Iraq with official statements from the U.S. government," Newman says. "And they presented it without being critical of it."