“Now you free speech boys have your fun now, but after November Fifth, ya’ll through.” — George Wallace on the presidential campaign trail in 1968.
ACHTUNG: This is not a fair and balanced article. It is an editorial by the editor.
We Americans so often like to sa
y our brave young men and women in uniform are “over there” across the sea fighting for our freedoms. And supposedly the most cherished of our freedoms, besides bearing arms, is the freedom of speech. And it’s been said that without freedom of speech, you really don’t have all the other freedoms.
It is true, up to a point, that we have a government that does not punish people for exercising their right of free speech. Our Supreme Court even ruled back in 1989 that any of us can burn our own American flags as a right of free speech, even though it may offend others.
Don’t forget that if you don’t have the freedom to offend, you don’t really have freedom of speech.
Too many Americans, however, have willfully forgotten. And that goes most particularly for businesses and corporations, which also were granted unlimited spending of money on political campaigns as their right of free speech.
Too many Americans, businesses and corporations do not truly honor others’ free speech rights when they are offended.
One good example a decade ago was the Dixie Chicks, who had the temerity to say publicly they were ashamed to be natives of the state George W. Bush claimed as his own. The government did not shut them up. The music industry and country music fans did. As a result, the three women suffered tremendous loss of revenue. They paid a hefty price for expressing their opinions.
I lost my job as editor at J-Ad Graphics in Hastings because I exercised freedom of speech. My superiors didn’t like what I said, regardless of my caveat that I was writing as an individual, not an editor, and I had no recourse.
Television host Bill Maher, after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, had the impertinence to insist the 19 plane hijackers were nuts, but not cowards, and he was removed from his job. Dan Rather and his producer were dismissed at CBS-TV for suggesting George W. Bush used his father’s influence to get out of serving in Vietnam.
Most recently, Hispanics and women took a day off work to march in the streets and rally against what they perceive as threats to them and seek a redress of grievances. Some Hispanics were fired from their jobs as a result.
There is no question that business and corporate executives have a right to fire people when employees do something they don’t like. But then don’t tell me at the same time we have freedom of speech. Our society practices punishing people who say things publicly that offend us.
The government will punish free speech such as yelling “fire!” in a crowded theater. And it will punish those who block the public right of way. So freedom of speech is not absolute, nor should it be.
But I have grown exceedingly weary of those who constantly trot out freedoms as the reason why so many lay down their lives when it’s not really true. Too many Americans, businesses and corporations don’t really care about freedom of speech, only their own.
“You’re free to speak your mind my friend
As long as you agree with me
Don’t criticize the father land
Or those who shape your destiny
‘Cause if you do
You’ll lose your job your mind and all the friends you knew
We’ll send out all our boys in blue
They’ll find a way to silence you.”
— Steppenwolf, 1967, “The Ostrich”
Come on now, you forgot offensive speech on colleges and universities being banned today, not 16 years ago. Safe zones where free speech is not allowed! Micro aggressions, code words, offensive words and gestures today not 16 years ago! The mobs on colleges who burn, shout and destroy to deny free speech to folks who are not properly liberal, today! In the same way, the National Socialists did in Nazi Germany in 1933.
You’re better than this myopic, one-sided narrow partisan argument! Automatically calling all who disagree Fascists, Nazis, bigots, homophobes, and racists is meant to chill free speech, today. The national media, the constitutional guardians of free speech, are the guiltiest.
American corporations have no duty to protect free speech, the media does! The colleges and universities flush with government cash do as well. Free speech is under attack but not by the entertainment media in 2001, but by the news media today in 2017. As always, the left, while being guilty of the worst offense, is blaming others.
It is called free speech, not politically correct speech. To see free speech violated look to the 2017 mainstream news media, not the 2001 entertainment media.
Robert,
I cannot add one more word to your response, excellent!! Thanks for speaking the truth!!
John
Your example of the “Dixie Chicks” was a poor one. Entertainers like singing groups have one thing on which they depend for their livelihood – audiences and listeners enjoying their music.
The singers were in London when one exclaimed they were ashamed of President Bush while on stage during a performance. Americans, like family members, don’t like their disagreements aired amongst strangers, if you’ve got a beef, speak up while in company of “family”, otherwise shut up.
Once it was known what was said and where, their audience dried up – the people have the right of spend their money and time wherever they please, and evidently the Dixie Chicks proverbially slit their own throats. Radio stations took it upon themselves to protest what they said by not playing their music, which was wildly popular at the time.
Which brings up another episode of John Lennon saying the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. They suffered media scrutiny and their sales of records dropped, but their overall staying power overcame an idiotic statement.
The Dixie Chicks didn’t learn a thing from John Lennon’s misstep, nor did they care. They thought they could spout off and not suffer any consequences. It behooves them and other musical entertainers to “shut up and sing”, and if you want to voice your opinion, don’t do it on stage and especially in another country. As entertainers, audiences come to be entertained, not to listen to political claptrap. Keep your public life and political life separate or you might suffer consequences.
Thank you for helping prove my point.
Mr. Young, when you are serving the public, you have to have a modicum of decorum not to be a pest, ass, or detrimental to what you are trying to convey, sell, promote. Sometimes your posts have a point starting out put come to the wrong conclusion. When you are serving the public and slap them in the face, don’t expect them to turn the other cheek (my apologies to Jesus quote). Free speech can be followed by opposite free speech, just like you can spend your dollars any way you please. Please, get off the soapbox, it ain’t working.