that the whole Meyer thing is a first amendment issue or reflective of a "speech-abridging" era. The other examples you bring up are more salient; by contrast the Meyer event is more contrived.

There are good questions for us to consider regarding the nature of protest and dissent, the difference between civil disobedience and uncivil unrest, and the role of public and private law enforcement.

But there is a tendency, happening almost immediately, to find in such an incident a metaphor for larger issues.

Thus, Kerry's response is viewed by some as a symbol of his weakness in 2004, the ineffectiveness of Democrats in general in the face of the authoritarian behavior, and so on.

And Meyer's self-serving rant and the subsequent over-reaction by campus police becomes a metaphor for the suppression of free speech and the silencing of dissent.

The article mentioned in the comment next to mine admits that it was mostly a well-designed media stunt, and reveals (to me) a guy who is very good at keeping the spotlight on himself, even as he now professes to be drawing attention to some larger concern.  

Perhaps you're right. Maybe this is an iconic moment.

In an era of "truthiness," maybe spinning the results of a contrived (and IMO, phony) act of "protest" by a narcissistic publicity seeker is just about as perfect a reflection of the times as we can ask for.