Friends, Citizens, Ungrateful Dumbasses...
Thirty-three percent of Americans are unable to name any First Amendment right. Maren Williams writes at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund:
One third of Americans cannot name any of the five freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment, according to results from the Newseum Institute's annual State of the First Amendment survey. While it's encouraging that speech is the freedom most commonly identified by respondents, fully informed citizens should understand how that right interacts with the other four: religion, press, assembly, and petition....In light of current events surrounding cartoon depictions of the Prophet Muhammad -- including attacks on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in January and the Muhammad cartoon contest in Garland, Texas, in May -- this year's survey added a new question asking whether respondents think "cartoonists should be allowed to publish images of Muhammad even though those images could be offensive to some religions." Sixty percent were in favor of allowing the cartoons, while 32% were not. Respondents under 30 years of age were much more likely (77%) to support allowing the imagery, as were non-religious individuals at 71%. Only 48% of Democrats were in favor, as opposed to 66% of both Republicans and Independents.
That's right, fewer than half of Democrats were in favor of free speech -- of allowing cartoonists to publish images of Mohammed. Seems Republicans are a bit more progressive than the "progressives."
Ask how many Americans would be willing to stand up for our civil liberties. You probably would rather not know the answer.
In related news, Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson is really, really confused about the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, and is proposing a rewrite of the latter. He hopes to bring to life his fantasy of a world where the worst thing one encounters all day is a little glitter farted on one by a passing unicorn. Jessica Chasmar quotes him in the Wash Times:
Writing for The Huffington Post, Mr. Grayson argued that the original Declaration of Independence is outdated and has already laid to rest the tyrannies of King George.Thus, "[w]e need a new declaration of independence," Mr. Grayson declared, offering up his own version of the founding document.
"We hereby declare our independence from bigotry, in all its evil forms," he wrote. "We declare our independence from racism, sexism, homophobia, language discrimination and chauvinism. Everyone has equal rights, no matter where you're from, what you look like, what language you speak, and whom you love. Everyone deserves respect."
Everyone absolutely does not deserve respect; many people and their ideas deserve derision. You don't make the world a better place by killing free speech; you make it a place where a lot of people ultimately end up dead.
via @adamkissel
It would be nice to declare our Independence from Stupidity, but we all has some of that.
Yo, Mr. Grayson, Respect is earned. It's not something you automatically deserve.
DrCos at July 10, 2015 3:49 AM
32% are against publishing cartoons of Muhammed? That's pretty depressing. Nearly a third of us don't appreciate what free speech is for. I am surprised that most people under the age of 30 (77%) support showing the cartoons. I was under the impression that our college students were a bunch of ultra-sensitive little pansies who actually take pride in the idea that free speech is all well and good, until it offends someone.
That I underestimated the number of those under 30 that would support publishing Muhammed cartoons is somewhat encouraging. Still 77% is not nearly as high as it should be. If we were doing our job of educating young people, I would expect the number to be at least 95%.
I'm disappointed in the producers of the "South Park" series. They are censoring at least three episodes because of a depiction of the prophet Muhammed (Super Best Friends, 200, and 201). I happened to enjoy the Super Best Friends episode, and I never got to see 200 and 201. Now, I guess I never will.
Patrick at July 10, 2015 3:49 AM
I think the underestimation is from the fact that many of the millennial generation (including me) have grown up with many liberal totalitarian organizations (for instance, my UU church, and especially the other branches we sometimes had events with, was completely PC liberal totalitarian) and we learned from an early age that shutting up and not arguing emotional arguments was the reasonable thing to do so as not to make the idiots cry. This carries over into college, where we mouth the platitudes and outrages of the campus left, and largely laugh at them behind their backs. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who hid their views and decided to screw with the system by answering all political surveys on campus dishonestly.
spqr2008 at July 10, 2015 5:53 AM
I'm disappointed in the producers of the "South Park" series.
I was under the impression that was Comedy Central's doing. Wikipedia has some more information for what that's worth. Apparently an uncensored copy of "201" was pulled out from a breach of South Park Studio's servers.
It maybe hard to find...actually, no it isn't. It's on Pirate Bay, and I found both "200" and "201" within 30 seconds of googling. Your search terms for your viewing pleasure:
South
Park
200
201
S14E06
S14E05
I R A Darth Aggie at July 10, 2015 7:11 AM
DrCos, I take issue with the assertion that "respect is earned." I realize a lot of people say it, but that doesn't make it true. You aren't allowed to be boorish to total strangers until they've earned your your respect. Or, to borrow an example from Miss Manners, your grandparents are entitled to the deference extended to the elderly without being grilled on their ideology. You should be respectful to everyone, until they have proven themselves unworthy. Respect is not earned. It's freely given. Disrespect, on the other hand...that's earned.
Patrick at July 10, 2015 7:13 AM
The Super Best Friends episode is S05E04...
I R A Darth Aggie at July 10, 2015 7:13 AM
Yo, Mr. Grayson, Respect is earned. It's not something you automatically deserve.
There is a certain base level of respect one should be accorded simply because they draw breath. That's more of a "treat people the way you want them to treat you" construct.
One gets respect by showing respect.
I R A Darth Aggie at July 10, 2015 7:20 AM
""We declare our independence from racism, sexism, homophobia, language discrimination and chauvinism. Everyone has equal rights, no matter where you're from, what you look like, what language you speak, and whom you love. Everyone deserves respect."
Total BS. Take each item and try to define it so that everyone agrees. BS and he knows it. Just another feel good worth nothing waste of fresh air comment. (Also DrCos is totally correct. Respect is earned w/deeds not words.)
Totally useless as it does not address any problem and he "feels good" that he put someone in their place. Meanwhile in Gotham City ...
Bob in Texas at July 10, 2015 7:21 AM
Oh, I know when it was, but when I visit the South Park episodes website, that episode is unavailable. It shows the central figures of many various religions, such as Christ, Joseph Smith, Buddha Moses and yes Muhammad as a team of superheroes, a la the Superfriends, battling David Blaine.
It's a pretty funny episode, too. David Blaine animates the statue of Lincoln at the Memorial, and the Super Best Friends come up with the means to defeat a giant stone Abraham Lincoln: build a giant stone John Wilkes Booth, of course! Booth does the job and Blaine is defeated.
Patrick at July 10, 2015 7:26 AM
Thanks so much, I R A Darth Aggie. Guess I know what I'm doing this afternoon.
Patrick at July 10, 2015 7:29 AM
"I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who hid their views and decided to screw with the system by answering all political surveys on campus dishonestly."
Oh, I love this! Sometimes I wish that I lived in a swing state so that, after I vote, I could troll the exit polls. We've seen some evidence in the past two or three elections that conservatives and libertarians are doing this.
"DrCos, I take issue with the assertion that 'respect is earned.'"
I think there are different degrees of respect. There's basic-human-decency respect, as Patrick points out, e.g., you don't walk up to random strangers on the street and insult them. Then there's the respect of people who want you to trust them... they must first prove that they are trustworthy. And as Patrick points out, the basic-human-decency part can be dis-earned with boorish behavior.
Cousin Dave at July 10, 2015 7:30 AM
Grayson is a putz, if you haven't figured that out yet. He has castigated people for having money in "offshore tax havens".
Meanwhile, guess who has a couple of hedge funds located in the Cayman Islands? and now has an ethics complaint filed with Congress because they used his name?
How did you know?
I R A Darth Aggie at July 10, 2015 7:38 AM
I'll add one other thing: for as long as I've been old enough to pay attention to politics (which would be back around the early 1970s), polls have pretty consistently shown a majority in favor of circumscribing the First Amendment's freedom-of-speech provision. Who specifially was in favor of that has changed over time. In the 1970s it was mostly social conservatives, although leftists, if they were being honest (which was seldom) would also say that they favored restricing the First Amemdment as soon as they were in power. Some of the social conservatives today still favor limiting freedom of speech, but there aren't enough of them to matter anymore. Today, most opposition to freedom of speech comes from the Left. Because they're in power.
It's worth noting that the other provisions of the First Amendment have been significantly weakened. The freedom-of-assembly provision is just about a dead letter; nowdays, in public interactions, the government can pretty much compel you to engage in certain associations and prohibit others. Similarly, the govenrment has the power to shut down any public gathering that the powers that be disapprove of. Freedom of religion is under attack, and even freedom of the press isn't regarded as sacrosanct, as witness the recent legal attacks on Reason magazine, or the guy who made the Youtube video that Hilary Clinton blamed for the Benghazi fiasco.
Cousin Dave at July 10, 2015 7:51 AM
He starts from a false assumption and goes off the rails from there.
He starts with the assumption that racism, sexism, homophobia, language discrimination (WTF?), and chauvinism are major problems in the US today.
http://thefederalist.com/2015/07/07/sorry-everyone-america-isnt-that-racist/
And the assumption that these issues are the government's business to "correct."
The Declaration of Independence was written to justify a rebellion, not as a governing document.
The Constitution was written as a framework for a government ... after the Articles of Confederation failed. It's a short, vague framework document that leaves much of the filling-in detail work to the legislature, president, and courts ... as it should.
It was designed to accommodate changes in social mores (and it has) as well as be resistant to popular hysteria (guarding against the "tyranny of the majority").
It was designed to keep the more-populated states from oppressing the less-populated ones (through equal representation in the US Senate and election of the president using the Electoral College) while still forcing the government to reflect the popular will (through population-based representation in the House of Representatives).
It was not designed to keep anyone from being insulted or microagressed (leaving those things, rightfully, to the body of law), but to keep the politically-disadvantaged from being oppressed by a federal government that had military authority.
It was not designed to provide everyone with respect, but with freedom ... and all the troubles that accompany being truly free.
In all, the US Constitution was a work of genius.
And I don't trust the Alan Graysons of the world to write another.
==============================
"We are sentenced to freedom, and must endure it." Leonard Wibberly (A Feast of Freedom)
Conan the Grammarian at July 10, 2015 8:51 AM
OK, some base level of respect is automatic with most people, but it is much easier to lose it than to gain it (or gain it back once lost).
But the 'independence from bigotry' is rather selfish. No one has the right to never be offended by someone else. The hate speech crowd and this gentleman both seem to think differently.
Just like 'hate crimes' . . . Does a murder victim somehow change how dead they are because the killer hated them?
drcos at July 10, 2015 8:54 AM
I don't claim to know for certain, Conan, but I'm guessing that "language discrimination" refers to those infrequent awkward moments when you don't know the gender of the person being spoken about and you commit the damnable sin of referring to the person as "he," rather than "he or she."
Patrick at July 10, 2015 9:29 AM
I thought that was about english first types. I.e. wanting everything in spanish/finish/yiddish yada yadaish. For the illegal immigrant crowd.
Ben at July 10, 2015 12:09 PM
Patrick: "Respect is not earned. It's freely given. Disrespect, on the other hand...that's earned."
Good point, Patrick. I'd never thought of it that way.
Ken R at July 11, 2015 10:34 AM
So, grammar is now a microagression?
Conan the Grammarian at July 11, 2015 11:36 AM
Oh no Conan! Are you a microagression all on your own? How will my psyche survive your fearsome name?
Quick, to the coloring book room!
Ben at July 11, 2015 3:42 PM
No, Ben, I'm a macroagression.
Conan the Grammarian at July 13, 2015 3:28 PM
If free speech is of any value at all, the first thing that we have to do is reinstate the word "nigger" to apply to irresponsible, criminal, and lazy black people. If this never happens, irresponsible, criminal, and lazy black people will never be separated out and addressed.
Alan at July 13, 2015 5:07 PM
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