Freedom of Speech
I am not a lawyer but I played one on television.
Nevertheless, many Don Imus fans and apologists are up in arms that he has now lost both his television and radio jobs in the wake of his now infamous, racist and sexist comments directed at the Rutgers University women’s basketball team.
Some people apparently think they should always have the right to use public airwaves to say anything that comes into their head, no matter how offensive. They seem to think that people of color and women and gays and immigrants and fat people and the disabled and whoever else they target are “just too sensitive” and “ought to lighten up.”
Countless times this week I have seen television news reports or newspaper stories where someone (usually a young white male) is interviewed, and after making the statements above, he tacks on, “What ever happened to freedom of speech in this country?” As if!
The right to freedom of speech was written into the first amendment of the Constitution of the United States, ratified in 1791. It reads:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Following the Revolutionary war, having just broken free from British rule, the framers of the constitution were especially interested in preventing any head of state or governmental body from silencing the people’s right to voice their opposition to laws they deemed unfair. Historically, the first amendment has been applied to protect the news media from government censorship, protecting their right to investigate and report on such things as the Watergate break-in.
“Freedom of speech” has nothing to do with individual citizens having the right to talk out of their ass without subjecting themselves to repercussions from other groups of citizens. “Freedom of speech” does not mean that those who hear and are offended by certain forms of speech have to simply put up with it. They too get the right to express their opinion. In other words if you call someone a “nappy-headed hoe” you may have every legal right to say that, but others also have the right to say, “We don’t like what you said, and we don’t think you belong on public airwaves.” Dissenters have free speech rights too.
It is from government censorship that we are protected and thus private companies, such as MSNBC and CBS, are well within their legal right to establish terms and conditions for appropriate behavior in their workplace, including prohibition against the use of forms of speech corporate management deems offensive.
So the next time those who are as insensitive to the feelings of others as they are ignorant of the law want to cry about how their rights are being infringed, tell them to shut the fuck up.
That’s me exercising my right to free speech.
Posted by bernie at April 13, 2007 8:01 PM"Freedom of speech" has nothing to do with individual citizens having the right to talk out of their ass without subjecting themselves to repercussions from other groups of citizens.
Thank. You. I can't tell you how many conversations I stumbled into the past few days with folks starting off with that same "what about freedom of speech" tripe. A lot of people forget it goes both ways. And if your ass has been dishing it out for over 2 decades, guess what? You can take it when folks speak up and say they're not having it.
Posted by: Karsh at April 14, 2007 1:29 AMAppropriate acronym: WMD - White Man Defense
I'm more than a little tired of it.
Posted by: Keguro at April 14, 2007 9:19 AMYou know I've always loved and respected you but now that I know you played a lawyer on Homicide that love and respect has increased tenfold.
Posted by: Michelle at April 14, 2007 2:59 PMAs vile and offensive as Imus's racist, verbal word salad was, it was also *who* his hateful words were directed at that pushed him over the shock-jock radio tolerance meter, and in to the realm of unprotected verbal stupidity.
Here you have a group of young black women (and other women of color), who were getting an education as well as performing, achieving, competitive athletes. Black women who were doing the right thing, playing their hearts out, and along comes this rich, old, white, sarcophagus of a human who could not keep his racist thoughts and images from forming in his head and leaving his mouth. With one, three word description, he tried to take away everything these young women were working so hard to achieve. To verbally rape them, shame them, denigrate them.
How on earth does a man at the pinnacle of his career and life, who has had all the success and accolades afforded white men in this country, how is it that at this time in his life he carries around such awful images of young black women? And the audacity, the unbridled arrogance to verbalize it?
An apology was not good enough. He deserved to be fired and I'm very happy to see that he was. This man has a long history of hateful, racist rants (see Thursday's NYTs editorial section on his 60 minutes interview). This time, this country said, oh no. Oh hell no.
For those who confuse his tirade with freedom of speech censorship and the politically correct run amok mindset, Don Imus crossed a line. Period.
Humph. Humph. HUMPH!
Posted by: CreoleInDC at April 16, 2007 6:16 PM