Commentary The safe space—“a place or environment in which a person or category of people can feel confident that they will not be exposed to discrimination, criticism, harassment, or any other emotional or physical harm,” according to the Oxford Dictionary—arose out of a perceived need for designated places in which marginalized groups could feel permitted to express themselves openly, and therefore is theoretically predicated on the ideals of free speech. But, as safe spaces have sprung up on college campuses around the world, they’ve turned on that mission entirely. Rather than promote open expression, safe spaces instead specialize in stifling contrarian ideas. By conflating words with violence, they merely provide “protection” by shielding students from opposing ideologies that might cause them offense. In doing so, they’ve emotionally and ideologically bubble-wrapped a generation. By delineating echo chambers, safe spaces endanger minds. The concept came to national attention in 2015 when the New …