Comments on: Freedom of Foul Speech http://www.bloggernews.net/113846 High-quality English language analysis and editorial writing on the news. Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:44:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: mondoreb http://www.bloggernews.net/113846#comment-234624 mondoreb Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:18:31 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/113846#comment-234624 And DBKP covered Gandhi's article--also ridiculous in my opinion--but the action taken was by a private entity, the Washington Post. Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences. You have the freedom to say whatever; other people have the right to disagree and exert pressure. That being said, I saw no Jews anywhere rioting in the street or calling for the murder of Gandhi. Finkelstein's denial of tenure is a long way from having a price on his head. And you and others are free to write and publish your viewpoints without fear that someone will put a price on your head. It does not mean you are free to write and publish without fear of criticism. So to imply that the Danish cartoons and your examples are cut from the same cloth is moral relevancy. But, of course, you knew that before you wrote it. And DBKP covered Gandhi’s article–also ridiculous in my opinion–but the action taken was by a private entity, the Washington Post.

Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences. You have the freedom to say whatever; other people have the right to disagree and exert pressure.

That being said, I saw no Jews anywhere rioting in the street or calling for the murder of Gandhi. Finkelstein’s denial of tenure is a long way from having a price on his head.

And you and others are free to write and publish your viewpoints without fear that someone will put a price on your head. It does not mean you are free to write and publish without fear of criticism. So to imply that the Danish cartoons and your examples are cut from the same cloth is moral relevancy.

But, of course, you knew that before you wrote it.

]]> By: mondoreb http://www.bloggernews.net/113846#comment-234615 mondoreb Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:10:51 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/113846#comment-234615 Of course, you are exactly right. One can't call for free speech in the cartoons and applaud the jailing of a Holocaust denier for the same. Of course, Europe is a lot less free on those matters than the U.S. Freedom of speech means almost all speech (short of yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theater), including DISAGREEABLE speech. You have to take the good with the bad. I deplore the rioting over the cartoons; I deplored the jailing of someone voicing Holocaust denial--no matter how ridiculous. Regulating what people write is the first step towards regulating what they say and think. It's all government control. Screw all attempts at that. Of course, you are exactly right. One can’t call for free speech in the cartoons and applaud the jailing of a Holocaust denier for the same. Of course, Europe is a lot less free on those matters than the U.S.

Freedom of speech means almost all speech (short of yelling “Fire!” in a crowded theater), including DISAGREEABLE speech. You have to take the good with the
bad.

I deplore the rioting over the cartoons; I deplored the jailing of someone voicing Holocaust denial–no matter how ridiculous. Regulating what people write is the first step towards regulating what they say and think.

It’s all government control. Screw all attempts at that.

]]>