According to the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States (1791), ‘Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;’ thus securing US citizens’ right to speak their minds freely without fear of censorship or legal consequence.
In recent decades, this particular idea of free speech as a right has been imbued in popular belief across the entire world, thanks in large part the United States’ efforts at global cultural dominance, with the status of a universal human right. In December 1948, following the horrors of Nazi totalitarianism, the Holocaust, and the Second World War, something of this was articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Art. XIX):
Naturally, this leads to some confusion. As the racist far-right continues to recruit support across social media and to make its presence felt on the ground in real world populist opinion and politics, its activists have vociferously taken up the fight for the protection of the right to free speech.
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Naturally, this leads to some confusion. As the racist far-right continues to recruit support across social media and to make its presence felt on the ground in real world populist opinion and politics, its activists have vociferously taken up the fight for the protection of the right to free speech.
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Interesting article though seemingly misses the obvious point that if you ban something you immediately give validation to it by quirk of human nature. Not a fan of banning free speech but that's not to say there shouldn't be consequences as he rightly mentions. The Weimar Republic tried similar with article 48...which Hitler promptly used when he gained power. Let them say what they want, mock and ridicule can be a very effective rebuttal.
ReplyDeleteBesides these days there are so many protected classes of society that nobody is allowed to make jokes about them save they become social pariahs- and that's concerning on many levels.
Tricky one, free speech is an essential aspect of a free society but what about the fascist right who use ot to "freely" speak, carefully choosing their words, against ethnic and racial minorities?
ReplyDeleteCaoimhin O'Muraile