LINK Rowan Atkinson on Free Speech vs. The New Intolerance - YouTube
Great video from a while back, though I just came upon it recently.
Very relevant especially in light of a growing trend on this site to block or seek members getting banned merely for expressing a point of view that is contrary or offensive.
As Mr. Atkinson says, "For me the best way to increase society's resistance to insulting or offensive speech is to allow a lot more of it. As with childhood diseases, you can better resist those germs to which you have been exposed. We need to build our immunity against taking offense so that we can deal with the issue that perfectly justified criticism can raise."
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To be able to punch a Nazi they have to identify themselves as a Nazi.
BufftonBeotch
Level 8
Jan 6, 2019
0
Excellent video! I concur with your statement. Those who seek to get members banned simply because they disagree with their viewpoints, are in my view the enemies of free speech and the unwitting contributors to a totalitarian state of affairs.
Voltaire said: "I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death you right to say it.."
Before I sign into this site I see on the web page in large clear type the words, The community of Reason. It seems to me that for those words to be meaningful agreement and disagreement will take place as arguments and debates and heated exchanges occur. I may not agree with someone's viewpoint but that does not give me an automatic right to advocate that that person be banned simply because his viewpoint is different from mine. Those who wish to ban others because they do not like their viewpoints only differ in a slight degree to the religious viewpoints that they vociferously oppose. THEY DO NOT VALUE FREE SPEECH.
ASTRALMAX
Level 8
Jan 6, 2019
3
Well said. Opposing censorship is not only ethical, it has practical ramifications.
[en.wikipedia.org]
I blocked a member on here. And I almost never block people.
But she would not, even after repeated request stop nagging me about my use of a certain most perfect four letter word.
@BufftonBeotch I believe that the word you refer to has been around since the 16th century and can be used in many grammatical contexts. The English Language is full of euphemisms that often disguise the true nature of events. George Orwell referred to Newspeak and Doublespeak, The neutralization of a language enables all kinds of injustices and atrocities to take place whilst stating that the opposite is happening.
Confucious: "I should see to it that language is used correctly.’ When they asked why something so trivial mattered, he said: ’If language is not used correctly, what is said is not what is meant. If what is said is not what is meant, what ought to be done remains undone. If this remains undone, morals and art will be corrupted. If morals and art are corrupted, justice will go astray. If justice goes astray, the people will stand about in helpless confusion."
@ASTRALMAX It is a perfectly fine word.
@BufftonBeotch It certainly is but it seems that we live in times where many people take offence to the use of certain words
I’ve often wondered why it is that saying certain Germanic-based words in public might get you arrested, but you can say exactly the same thing using French or Latin based words and it will hardly be noticed. You will be thought of as refined and intelligent.
Maybe it has to do with the Norman invasion.
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