Free Speech WILL offend you sometimes - deal with it
May 29th, 2007You know what Left-Wingers and Right-Wingers have in common? Neither of them have a sense of humor, and both want to suppress ideas they don’t like.
I finally watched Pan’s Labyrinth a few weeks ago. I loved it. If you haven’t seen it, rent it. Just keep in mind, it’s NOT a movie for kids. The movie showed the Fascists as cold and callous, kind of the way I see today’s Leftists.
“No Free Speech for Fascists!,” I remember them rallying on my former campus. You want to censor someone? Just call them a fascist. They tried to get a Professor fired for being against Affirmative Action. What a horrible, horrible man he must have been. When I think of the worst people in history, I immediately think of (in no order) Joseph Stalin, Idi Amin, Adolf Hitler, Mao, Pol Pot, Elizabeth Bathory, and that evil college Professor who was against Affirmative Action. Yes, no Free Speech for Fascists.
Political Correctness is censorship. I’m calling a spade a spade. It’s the Left’s way of censoring ideas they don’t like.
Yes, there are limits to speech, and the limits are agreed upon by just about everyone with a rational mind. I cannot email all my friends your credit card number. That’s not free speech, that’s a criminal act. If I’m mad at my company, I cannot email its competitors our source code. Also, I cannot slander you. If you are a child molester, I can print on my webpage that you are a child molester. If you are not, I cannot legally call you one. That is called “slander.”
As ugly as it was, Don Imus‘ stupid racial slur is Free Speech. I didn’t like it, and those women were far from nappy-headed hos. They seemed to handle themselves very professionally, despite the derogatory slur. More power to them, and I hope each one of them will go on to lead happy, successful lives.
Should he have lost his job? No. Now, if one of those women were to smack him across the head, well, he would deserve what he gets, and I don’t think any of us will have too much sympathy for him. In fact, some of us may laugh.
Funny, Imus loses his job, but Rosie O’Donnell can make fun of Chinese people all she wants and doesn’t even get a slap on the wrist. Well, I take that back, she eventually did get canned because she kept getting in stupid fights. Not because of making fun of Chinese people though.
I don’t like Don Imus. I don’t like Howard Stern either. I think they’re both low life idiots who are contributing to the Jerry Springerization of America. However, they have the Right to do that. We have the Right to turn it off.
UPDATE: This just added - this also applies to the people who want to ban Harry Potter. If you don’t like that stuff, then move to a theocracy. There are plenty of them around the world you can choose from.
Those guys who came up with that little Bill of Rights thing sure knew what they were doing, huh?
I am with you on political correctness, etc., especially in the university which takes as fundamental a free market of ideas.
I think there is a difference, though, between Imus getting canned by his employer and, say, the FCC shutting him down. If a company deems that an employee has said something inappropriate that publicly reflects the company, they can take action. One could argue that they should have gotten rid of him a long time ago, that they were just bowing to political pressure, etc., but the upshot is that they may employ who they like. If I work for Coke and I go around saying Pepsi is better, I can expect to be fired. And likewise if I tell the CEO to take the elevator down and keep going, I can expect to be fired.
Freedom of speech does not eliminate the rules of propriety. In fact Tocqueville speaks of the ‘tyranny of the majority’ in Democracy in America. He says that in America, we leave a person life, limb and property, but ostracize them, cut them off from public life. Interesting.
Yeah the Left’s secular theocracy is all encompassing. Telling us who we can and can’t fire, hire, or educate. What is and isn’t racism or sexism. What is and isn’t healthy or just.
One does grow weary of them.
I agree with yonderincarp on the free speech vs. property rights stuff though. I’m not offended at all by Imus being fired, since it was his employer’s right.
Yonder - You made a good point I didn’t think about. I’m ignorant about the whole story, and was unaware that it was his employer who fired him to save face. Had to look that up.
That said, his employer will be bummed when they can’t find anyone else to make $25 million a year in ad revenue. Ironically, the same big wigs who fired him will be fired when they fail to meet their numbers.
As for Imus, he’ll be back, although in a different medium. He’ll probably follow the route of Howard Stern.
Scott - Heh, interesting word usage - secular theocracy. Funny how those who hate religion the most are often the ones who would force their own beliefs down someone’s throat.
I agree with yonderincarp on the free speech vs. property rights stuff though. I’m not offended at all by Imus being fired, since it was his employer’s right.
Please see what I wrote to Yonder.
Hi there. All this politcal correctness has gotten to me also. I mean for X-mas you cant really say Merry X-mas I have noticed lately. Its Happy Holidays. Come on people. I dont understand it but you never know. Just one of those weird things. Well I have to run. Kora has a friend over and I have to make sure they arent getting into things.
Yeah, that’s another bug of mine. I still say Merry Christmas, despite what folks want me to say. Now, if someone invites me to a Hannakah, Kwanzaa, or Yule party, I’m there as long as they’re fun people.
I guess the only bummer would be to be an Atheist. They’ll either have to wait until New Years or bite the bullet and celebrate with someone else.
Good point, Z. The market is an amazing thing, huh? I always like listening to people like Warren Buffet talk about things because they are able to see the underlying forces at work, have a good common sense perspective of how things work. That situation is like putting the two bugs of American capitalism and American idealism in a jar and shaking it to see which eats the other.
Amen on the atheist thing. They can’t even have Antichristmas because that assumes there is a Christ to be against and such a thing as a mass. A fun read along these lines (if you can find a copy) is a story by a post WWI Polish writer named Aleksandr Wat called ‘Lucifer Unemployed’. It is hilarious!
Yonder - I’ll google that piece.
Buffet’s the man. I regret having sold my Berkshire share. I used to love getting his annual report. he always had interesting things to say about the state of the economy, and knows 100 times more than I’ll ever know about economics.
I agree about the free speech…the problem is that people like Imus and Stern are dangerous…they are constantly putting women in danger with their comments. If men listen to them and agree with them, women become less and less human, and this is very dangerous. When we become dehumanized then crimes like rape become more acceptable. I’m not saying that every man is going to go out after listening to the radio and rape a woman, but it definitely affects the way men think about and treat women.
Slade - I can’t tell you a thing about Imus. I’ve never listened to him, and all I know about him are quotes I’ve read. I can tell you that I don’t like Stern one bit. He’s hateful of himself and a lot of other people and yes, he does have a low view of women. He finds the dumbest women he can find and shows them off to represent all women. But like I said, you can always turn him off.
What women need more than anything else are more women to step up to the plate that are funny and charismatic. Whining only tugs on heart strings which go so far before they snap. As for me, I’ve been whined out to the point when as soon as I hear someone complain, I shut them out. Now, if you can make me laugh, I’ll listen. I think there are a lot of folks who feel like I do.
Hey, you’re smart and funny. Ever considered a role in radio? I’d listen to you.
I agree with you here. As an English teacher, I feel any limiting of free speech is dangerous, even when that speech is hurtful or offensive. No one has the right to censor anyone in this country. That is not to say that we should not be censoring oursleves. There is such a thing as common decency. Don’t swear in front of the baby, but don’t tell me not to swear in front of the baby - that sort of thing. I also agree that Imus shouldn’t have lost his job, nor should he have been made to apologize. He is a racist. He has the right to be one, and publically if he chooses. We don’t have to like him for it, but we do have to allow it to be so in order for this to be a democracy for us all.
the art of civil discourse is lost in this country. people have no concept of your to disagree in a mature fashion. if we disapgree it must be because you’re a fascist trying to take away my rights. and really that’s at the heart of rosie’s rants. she got into fights all the time because she is completely unable to listen to any kind of viewpoint differing from her own. her response was to shout it down. the loudest one wins. it’s just sad. if people could shut their mouths and have some actual polite exchange of opinions they might learn a thing or two from each other.
True. My mom is one but she celebrates X-mas anyway. She has never believed so its her own little world I guess. But anyway that is not what this post is about. Free speech can get people in trouble sometimes. Its just plain weird how it works. I love to talk and I love to give my opinion on something.
Oh I have a question for you before I forget. Kora has a program today and I am going to use my digital camera to tape it, is there a way to get it on my blog with you tube or off my camera thing to post it? I have never done this before so I am curious. Or I can just take Pix of it too. I will be leaving the house about 1:15 Central time. Program is at 1:45. Thanks if you can help me.
lime… yeah, it is true. americans in general are simply bad at civil discourse. it is because we are inherently moralists and idealists, even when we have given up any rational basis of morality (atheists). it is a two-edged sword. it gives us tremendous strength because we actually believe wholeheartedly in what we do and say, but it is not the best for reasoned political government. thankfully there are statesmen.
but i take solace in the fact that at least there are people like william f buckley, jr.
I loved Pan’s Labyrinth. I thought it was a brilliant film and I had no idea what to expect, and whenever I thought I got a grip on the story, it took a different turn. It was a gripping story. And I agree with the overuse of PC (Political correctness), it’s almost like having to censor our beliefs, opinions and infriges our freedom of speech. We don’t have to agree or approve of other people’s lifestyle and ideals but we have to respect it.
By the way, I tagged you with one of those long one word MCQ.
One thing I’ve always appreciated about Spanish film is that Spain can write strong women better than any other country, something America rarely can pull off. Thelma and Louise? Verdú could bitch slap them both. Mexico seems to have inherited those traits, for del Toro pulls it off perfectly with two strong female leads in Baquero and Verdú.
Zombie - why didn’t you put a link to your review in your post? I liked this review. I laughed when I read this.
“No free speech for fascists”, that’s hilarious. Orwellian Newspeak at its finest.
Free speech is a major issue in Canada due to our fascist-leaning hate speech laws. It’s actually illegal to be a Holocaust denier up here…unlawful to be a moron, in other words. That scares me. We all deserve the freedom to be morons!
Yeah, I read somewhere the EU passed some laws that made it a criminal offense with jail time to “trivialize” the holocaust. Pretty stupid.
United - Very well said. Yes, decency is nice, and I try to watch my mouth, especially in front of kids.
He is a racist. He has the right to be one
Very true. As much as I hate racism, it’s a Right.
Lime - if people could shut their mouths and have some actual polite exchange of opinions they might learn a thing or two from each other.
I’ve always said God gave us two ears but only one mouth for a reason.
Tweety - I hope you got this resolved. I emailed you, but sorry I couldn’t help more.
Yonder - Thankfully one of us likes Buckley. He puts me to sleep.
La Cremiere - Got your tag, and finally got around to doing it.
JJ - Thanks.
SME - Newspeak that definitely is. And that’s ridiculous about the Holocaust denier thing. Whenever a gov’t forces someone to believe a historical event at gunpoint, you have to wonder, no matter how good their intentions are.
Scott - Yes, that’s just wrong. That’s why Europhile Americans bother me so much. They idolize a place that’s backwards, not forwards.