GAVEL GAMUT
By Jim Redwine
www.jamesmredwine.com
HATE SPEECH
Time Magazine’s book, The Making of America, posits Benjamin Franklin’s aversion to
the abuse of arbitrary power was at the root of his philosophy. Ben believed that the surest guard against such abuse was freedom of speech and the unfettered flow of ideas. As Colonial America’s most influential member of the press, Franklin was instrumental in the birth of our nation as one where the otherwise unchecked power of government could be reined in by the free flow of ideas and truth publicly aired.
Without the First Amendment, there would have been no United States of America, such
was the fear of unchained governmental power among our Founders:
“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.”
While freedom of speech is generally protected throughout government and in the public,
it has always been the pride and guiding principle of America’s institutions of higher learning.
Universities have encouraged, tolerated and protected the free flow of ideas, especially
unpopular ones. Therefore, it has raised alarm throughout academia that students and professors are being summarily silenced and even removed from the United States merely based on their philosophical beliefs.
Freedom of speech is designed to allow unpopular views. We do not need protection of
popular ones. One method of controlling free expression is to label it as hateful to others,
especially if the expression comes from those with whom our government, or the general
population, may disagree. That appears to be the driving force behind allegations that those who oppose Israel’s assault on its neighbors are antisemitic and must be punished.
Neither our government or the national media defines what it means to be antisemitic or
why there is no right to be so, or why one cannot be unprejudiced against any group, say Jews, and still find fault with the government of the country identified with that group, say Israel. As long as prejudice is not displayed in such a way as to cause harm to a group, say Palestinians or Jews, in America one has the right to believe as one wishes and to peaceably express those views.
The grave danger from even repugnant prejudice is not one’s beliefs, but actions. Nazis in
Germany in the 1930’s and 1940’s and Zionists in Israel today may be morally corrupt, but as long as no Jim Crow type prejudice is displayed, they can wallow in their own ignorance without the government becoming involved. No, the true grave danger to our democracy and the unquestioned violation of the First Amendment comes when a government or institution takes the side of those who would deny free speech to others.
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