Free Speech Forever!
I’m a huge fan of the First Amendment, even though there are days I think it should end after the first 5 words. Julian Sanchez has presented one of the most practical arguments for free speech ever.
People are clearly forgetting the all-important "mockery" rationale for the sacred contract of free speech. In short: there are lots of different kinds of people to make fun of. And there are more of them than of you. So for any particular individual, whatever mental discomfort involved in periodically being the butt of the joke pales in comparison to the benefit of the much greater other-directed mockery we can participate in a free society.That’s what I’m talking about, baby! It’s all about the mockery. Of course, for a serious discussion of free speech you could do much, much worse than to read Kindly Inquisitors.
posted by T at 11:54 AM
2 Comments:
If you are ever looking for some interesting reads concerning free speech, I would suggest looking up some of the legal cases on Lexis-Nexis. It's amazing the cases that have come about, especially on college/university campuses, concerning First Amendment rights. While it was extremely dry reading, it was at least action packed enough to keep one's attention. Plus, I felt as if I learned something important.
Alas, since finishing my MBA I no longer have free access to Lexis-Nexis. I get most (but not all) of my 1st amendment news from The Volokh Conspiracy. They try to post links to actual cases and decisions as much as possible. Additionally, the analysis and commentary provided is often helpful to a non-lawyer like me. Of course, I have J around to help me when the legalese gets too thick, as it inevitably does.
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