Why Do Liberals Hate Free Speech?
By Mitch Berg
“Progressives” – or at least, way too many of them – hate the free and open interchange of ideas.
Over on this thread at MinnPost on the cancellation of “Sons of Liberty” on AM1280, a commenter sniffed “Freedom of speech has been stretched to the limit by “Patriot” radio”. And I’d love to ask – what are the “limits” of free speech? (And, by the way – for all of you who got the vapors over Brad Dean’s radio show or prayer in the house – are you OK with lefty host Randi Rhodes repeatedly calling for then-President Bush’s murder? Or with Ed Schultz calling his talk-radio better Laura Ingraham a “slut”? Just curious).
To many progressives, apparently, the limit is “whatever challenges what I believe“; students at Georgetown turned out to sign a (staged) petition to censor conservative websites:
“The undersigned hereby adamantly demand that the United States government shut down right wing hate sites. The hate speech propagated by sites like the Drudge Report, Hot Air, Instapundit, Big Government, and others must not be allowed to corrupt our political discourse any longer. These sites are dangerous not only to truth and freedom but also to our society as a whole. BAN THEM NOW!”
This is at Georgetown, mind you – incubator for our nation’s putative future elites. And it’s not pretty; it might be time to look into getting some new “elites”.
Ed Morrissey – whose site was specifically targeted in the petition – quotes some of the new power generation:
“There has to be some control,” one young woman says. “I mean, freedom of speech is good, but, there is a certain modicum of control — I mean, look at the Tea Party.” Yeah, look at that freedom of assembly and freedom of political speech that garnered so much support that Republicans won more new seats in a midterm election than either party had in 72 years. We have to control that kind of thing! I particularly liked the one woman who signed the petition because sites like ours “cause a lot of debate.” Oh, heavens, no! Not debate! Why, then one might have to actually pay attention and think for one’s self!
Most common reaction to the question, “What do you think of the First Amendment?” was “I think it’s great, but ….” Maybe Georgetown should consider remedial Civics and American History classes.
I’d say Georgetown, and much of the public education bureaucracy, is thinking “Mission Accomplished” right about now.
It’s nothing new, of course. Back in 1986, on my old graveyard-shift show on KSTP, I interviewed some members of “Women Against Military Madness” after their leader, Polly Mann, called for censorship of media that didn’t promote the “peace at any price” line. With a straight face.
May 27th, 2011 at 11:26 am
Haters gonna hate.
May 27th, 2011 at 11:40 am
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/totalitarianism
If you do not think that “progressives” are working very hard to dominate all political, social, and economic activities world wide you are ignoring the evidence of your eyes.
May 27th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
I got an early lesson on this when a History professor at UW-Eau Claire used his class time to organize protests against Bush 41 when he came to speak there. Not march outside with signs, but to go in to the venue and try to shout down the President. To prevent him from speaking.
May 27th, 2011 at 12:06 pm
Terry, it’s called Liberal Fascism and I can spot it a mile away.
May 27th, 2011 at 12:24 pm
The more I see of elites, the less I think of elitism. Maybe it’s time to start electing people who, while maybe not qualifying to go to Hahvid, did in fact learn the laws of supply and demand, and of consequences.
May 27th, 2011 at 1:05 pm
You’re the Twin Cities go-to blogger for raw cojones, Mitch–now that you’ve taken on Marcia Brekke. Hat’s off!
May 27th, 2011 at 1:20 pm
Well Gavin, it takes “raw cojones” to stand up against the voices of intolerance and censorship so prevalent on the left. Adolph Hiltler wasn’t very fond of free speech. Neither was “Uncle Joe” Stalin. Or Franklin Roosevelt. Or Barack Obama.
May 27th, 2011 at 1:40 pm
Free speech has been absent from left wing circles for a long time. Back when I was in college in the 60’s dissenting viewpoints were routinely hissed, booed or shouted off the stage. Nothing new at all about it.
May 27th, 2011 at 2:09 pm
Mitch wrote:
“And, by the way – for all of you who got the vapors over Brad Dean’s radio show or prayer in the house – are you OK with lefty host Randi Rhodes repeatedly calling for then-President Bush’s murder? Or with Ed Schultz calling his talk-radio better Laura Ingraham a “slut”? Just curious).”
NO. Are you ok with Glenn Beck promoting the poisoning of Nancy Pelosi, or the death and rape threats to the 16 year old girl who challenged Bachmann to a debate of the constitution? I can name you more of these, from the right.
Are you ok with Bradlee Dean comparing himself to Martin Luther, or calling the Pope the Anti-christ, or implying that catholics are not christian, or that Jews should consider themselves lucky that the U.S. is a christian theocracy because we are less prone to cut their throats, or any of the many other statements he made which were hateful, not to mention Dean was routinely factually inaccurate?
It’s no accident that he was kicked from WWTC; it should have happened long ago. It is no accident that he didn’t get on another radio station or that he has been chased out of the public retail locations where he got money by misrepresentation – and yes, I know of one of those instances first hand. There appear to be many of them.
Do YOU support those statements, Mitch, or do YOU disagree with them?
May 27th, 2011 at 2:31 pm
Dog Gone, if you were an intelligent person you would know that part of the political game is to try and associate the violent fringe of an opposing group as being their “mainstream”, while disassociating yourself from the violent fringe of your group.
The gullible fall for it.
Obama was a very far left wing Senator. He is the most radically left wing person ever elected to the presidency, and he has demonstrated that he will use undemocratic means to push his agenda (see a health care law that was “deemed passed” rather than voted on by the people’s elected representatives).
Yet you believe that the “radical right” is the greatest threat to this nation.
May 27th, 2011 at 2:38 pm
NO. Are you ok with Glenn Beck promoting the poisoning of Nancy Pelosi,
He wasn’t “promoting” it, he was joking about it. It was a stupid joke.
or the death and rape threats to the 16 year old girl who challenged Bachmann to a debate of the constitution?
Which talk radio host made those death and rape threats?
Are you ok with Bradlee Dean comparing himself to Martin Luther,
He’s got a right to make the claim. Why would I care? I have the right to dispute it.
or calling the Pope the Anti-christ, or implying that catholics are not christian,
Am I “OK” with it? It’s a theological point of view, and a rather extreme one that I disagree with on theological grounds. Being “OK” is irrelevant.
or that Jews should consider themselves lucky that the U.S. is a christian theocracy because we are less prone to cut their throats,
Not sure where he said the US was a “Christian Theocracy”; I believe his point was quite the opposite. It is a fact that fundamentalist (and politically conservative) Christians are (broadly) the most pro-Israel and least anti-Semitic goyim in the US. Jews would do well to recognize that.
or any of the many other statements he made which were hateful
You have any specifics? I rebuke hate as a matter of principle – but the left has a pretty rubbery, self-serviing definition of the term.
not to mention Dean was routinely factually inaccurate?
Yep. And if called upon, I have pointed that out – including to Dean himself. Just like I do with you who, it should be added with all due respect, are every bit as routinely inaccurate.
It’s no accident that he was kicked from WWTC; it should have happened long ago.
Specifically why? And by specifically, I mean not becuase you disagree with him; why should he have been kicked off?
Do YOU support those statements, Mitch, or do YOU disagree with them?
Statements where he was pointlessly inflammatory or just plain wrong about history, politics or the Constitution? Of course not.
But I have to say, this “when did you stop beating your wife?” line of questioning is both logically vacant and every bit as objectionable as anything Dean may have said.
So – do you support Andy Birkey’s serial lies about Dean?
Kind of an insulting question, isn’t it?
May 27th, 2011 at 3:22 pm
Just starting out with “Glenn Beck promoting the poisoning of Nancy Pelosi” automatically excuses Doggie from any rational conversation. I mean, seriously. Could anyone get more hyperbolic than that slur? Maybe she should go back to the “Mitchketeers” slurs. At least they aren’t as hateful.
May 27th, 2011 at 3:30 pm
It’s no accident that he was kicked from WWTC; it should have happened long ago.
From the dictionary definition of totalitarianism I quoted above:
I don’t know of any conservatives who have said that Olby should have been kicked off of MSNBC for his political rants, ditto Ed Schultz.
May 27th, 2011 at 3:43 pm
The DFL: multiple votes, multiple standards.
May 27th, 2011 at 4:10 pm
I don’t know Troy, I think I’d say they have little or no standards, or morals for that matter.
May 27th, 2011 at 4:13 pm
We know the democrats’ standards: standing ovation by Dem congress for serial liar Michael Moore, Bradley Dean should not be allowed to speak.
May 28th, 2011 at 8:56 am
Answer to the post question: Why do liberals hate free speech? Because they cannot tolerate opposition to their rigid orthodoxy. They also hate the word “orthodoxy” applied to their rigid orthodoxy.
May 28th, 2011 at 12:45 pm
NO. Are you ok with Glenn Beck promoting the poisoning of Nancy Pelosi, or the death and rape threats to the 16 year old girl who challenged Bachmann to a debate of the constitution? I can name you more of these, from the right.
Stop taking MM at their word DG. I listened to both of these clips LIVE and it was fucking SARCASM. Are you ok with Ed Schlitz calling Laura Ingrham a ‘right-wing slut’?
May 29th, 2011 at 1:07 am
Dog Gone wrote:
“…or that Jews should consider themselves lucky that the U.S. is a christian theocracy because we are less prone to cut their throats…”
Since when did you give a rat’s ass about the Jews? On Moderate Left, you stated that Israel was wrong to stop the Hamas re-supply convoy. Therefore, you believed that a resupply convoy to the Islamic Resistance Movement should have been able to proceed. In other words, you sympathize with Nazis.
May 29th, 2011 at 10:25 am
Liberalism and fascism go together like peas and carrots.
May 29th, 2011 at 3:30 pm
I think Dog Gone could very well have been a great village elder for the Scarlet Letter. He seems to have it all worked out in his own little head. Twist and misrepresent a person’s words, pretend to have insight into their intentions, offer first person evidence of some kind of crime, then consider it a serial matter, then act as judge, jury, executioner, and for good measure grave digger.
How refreshing.