“There are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by gradual consent and silent encroachment of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.”
James Madison
In the wake of the recent election night flip-flopping by the television networks over who won the Florida presidential election, there have been new calls for reigning in the media. These come on the heels of an ongoing campaign from both the left and the right for a host of censorship proposals to curb news organizations, the entertainment industry, and anyone else for that matter, whose utterances might have the potential to offend someone.
Reinforcing those attitudes are results of the Freedom Forum’s 2000 State of the First Amendment Survey that are truly frightening! According to the results of the study, 67% are in favor of outlawing remarks offensive to racial groups ; 51% of the people believe the press “has too much freedom to do what it wants”; 53% would ban speech offensive to religious groups; 51% felt that art which is offensive to some in a community should not be given public exposure; 40% would restrict musicians from singing offensive lyrics in public; and 20% “think the government should be allowed to approve what newspapers publish”. Moreover, 36% would be in favor of legislation mandating an outright ban on such forms of speech.
Most alarming, 37% “of those polled couldn’t name even one of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment!”
Tragically these opinions are reflective of a society which has fallen under the spell of the adherents of political correctness and generation of human lemmings who have been (i) indoctrinated by an education system which sees only the shortcomings of our admittedly imperfect system while too often lacking both an historical and contemporary knowledge of and appreciation for its far greater strengths and concurrently (ii) seduced by the mantra that feeling good about one’s self is an ultimate societal objective … even at the expense of basic liberties guaranteed under the Constitution and Bill of Rights or reasonable requirements to provide correct answers on school tests!
Freedom of speech, unquestionably our most precious liberty, is both a unique privilege and demanding responsibility. It affords every citizen the unfettered opportunity to air their opinions openly and publicly without fear of reprisal or retribution … yet requires of each individual the often, uncomfortable obligation to respect those same rights when exercised by others, no matter how offensive or insensitive such ideas or comments may be, either to themselves or the mainstream of American society.
Where sexual content and violence in movies and music are concerned as well as so-called hate speech, it must fall upon parents and their private sector surrogates, not the government, to act as the filter of what their children watch or hear and to provide a moral perspective relative to such information. Adults, meanwhile, must be permitted to follow their own moral compasses!
A democratic political system, the hallmark of a free society, is, by definition, cumbersome and generally inefficient. It demands respect for the frequently differing opinions and beliefs of others. Moreover, it will only survive if its citizens are eternally vigilant and willing to respect and protect the rights of the minorities within their society. History is replete with the ashes of efficient systems in which a few people made all the decisions and defined the moral values for the masses. I do not think any of those people whose views are reflected on the Freedom Forum’s really want that type of country.
With respect to criticism of the media, most recently due to their premature election calls, it is in the their own self-interest to reexamine the media’s principal contract with the public, that of providing accurate and balanced news, while foregoing the frequently more financially lucrative road of indulging in editorial comment and entertainment. It’s far better to be second with a breaking story but have the facts correct than saddled with an image of lacking either objectivity and accuracy. Unfortunately, these objectives have become blurred in recent years. If it fails to do so, the media will be in danger of loosing the trust of the American people … in which event a free press may become the first victim.
Before being so ready to abridge the speech of others, all American should reflect on Justice Hugo Black’s admonition; “The freedoms of speech, press, petition and assembly, guaranteed by the First Amendment, must be accorded to the ideas we hate or sooner or later they will be denied to the ideas we cherish.”
The very preservation of our American political, social and economic systems require that no individual, group or governmental entity should be permitted to abridge the rights of any individual or to enact any laws “respecting the establishment of religion … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or of the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for the redress of grievances ”
