Freedom has a price but it doesn't keep score

[vernard]

I got an email from a co-worker that is a member of an organization on Emory’s campus that is trying to bring issues of racism to the forefront of the campu’s collective mentality so that they can better develop strategies for dealing with it. She forwarded me this email today:

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One of the white members of my TCP group shared this story with us last night. We are thankful and optimistic that she is one of many Emory students who do not share in this new breed of hate and is sharing her voice to protest.

What can we do about it?

http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=1231684&page=1

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Unfortunately for her, I decided to respond. I won’t send the full text of my email but basically I said “Nothing. and there shoudln’t be anything that you can do about it.” One of the unfortunately and necessary tenants of a society like ours is that folks should be free to think what they want and to also teach their kids the same thing. You cannot legislate tolerance and love any more than you can legislate morality. Nor should you try to. Its a slippery slope that we really don’t want to even get near.“

So exactly how far should the government/society go to protect itself from this type of thing?

Comments

[twisteddaydream.livejournal.com]

I think that you're right. If the government steps in and tries to regulate this, then who is to say that down the road, Jewish thoughts or Islamic thoughts or Pagan thoughts...or even Christian thoughts, depending upon who is in power... are fought against and censored? In this situation, what the people can do is to not buy what the girls are selling. Yes, it's sad. Yes, it's digusting. However, we live in a consumer driven market. We also live in a spectacle driven society. What people should be remembering here is Eminem. The more controversy and antagonism that was published and spouted out about Eminem, the more popular he became. He sold more albums; he got more interviews.

The same thing will happen here. The more outraged people become, the more they will talk about it. The more they talk about it, the more interest will be piqued. That will lead to the sale of more albums and more publicity and more people to whom their message of hate and bigotry will reach.

Now, I said all of that to get to your question. If the government steps in here, you're correct. It becomes a slippery slope and very dangerous ground. The government trying to do something about this brings forward all kinds of publicity. You will have the white supremist groups coming out in arms about abuse of free speech. You will have the "equality" groups coming out in arms about how Prussian Blue's version of free speech harms people. And then you'll have the people (like me) who do not agree with the message being sent but DO agree with their right to free speech. It would turn into a media circus. That's what, if not the girls themselves, then certainly their mother, want. And the downside of that is that more and more people would hear what they are talking about. And there are two groups of people you don't have to worry about: the ones who agree with the lyrics and the ones who adamantly disagree with the lyrics. But what about the middle group? As with any issue, it's that group that you have to be wary of.

If people want to know what they can do about this, the answer is simple: education. If they have children, make sure that their children are not buying products like this. If they are exposed to it, explain why what the message the band is sending is hate-filled and hurtful. And there are other ways to educate. But one thing is -- in my opinion -- certain in this situation and it's the fact that the government does *not* need to become involved in this on a speech level because as Americans, it is the mother's right and the girls' right to speak and believe what they do. And for the rest of America, it is their right to not buy what the girls are selling.

The only problem is that most people won't think that way. They will want someone to do something about this and the media frenzy will just grow...

[reprobayt.livejournal.com]

From my bio:

If you don't agree with the opinions I have, what I believe and/or what I support -- because of brave souls who died before us, you have that right. I will fight beside you to protect it. However, your opinion holds no power here...in simple terms, I don't care.