Many years ago, I Iistened to the U.S.’ National Public Radio news programs each day while driving home from work. It has now been quite some time that I haven’t had NPR on my radio set, haven’t listened. I changed residence and have CBC Radio 2 on a worn and stuck-in button these last twenty or so years. Many people make strong comparisons that the world view, the politics, the agendae of the two networks are much the same. I guess so, yes. I think they are. What is interesting is that my world view, politics are in tune with those of the public broadcasters — almost always. I very much enjoy (what I believe to be) balanced and in-depth reporting of events, the measured tone of the talking heads, the focus on arts, literature, culture. All of the daily programming menu seems pretty high-brow and I am a sucker for high-brows – long hair. Gimme an ‘F’ for Farley Mowat! Gimme an ‘M’ for Margaret Atwood…gimme a ‘P’ for Philip Glass. Yay!
At one time, near the end of Thursday’s All Things Considered program on NPR, they read letters from listeners. Usually, the letters were fairly benign requests for coverage of different things or praise of particular broadcasts. For the best part, they were sweet little notes and notes full of considered, intelligent observations. I always listened. One Thursday, a letter stood out for me. I no longer remember the exact details but I remember the personal comeuppance I felt. “Whoa…” I said in realization, “I am less than perfect.” The letter-writer started with a pleasant salutation and noted that he/she had been listening to news coverage and wished to offer a criticism. That’s when the tone of the letter changed, easing into a sort of “Damn you liberals all to hell!” that was ‘suggested’. The writer launched into an attack on the ‘left wing liberal’ slant NPR applied to the news reporting, accusing the editorial staff of allowing a biased representation of facts. “Wait, just one minute!” I nearly cried aloud. “You are attacking what is some of the most balanced and fair reporting there can be! How dare you be so blind! Well!!!” Two seconds after my inner outburst, I stepped back, aware that, of course I would think a left wing liberal slant to the news would be an un-biased one…I am a proud left wing liberal! Uh-oh…can it be that I, I am not righteous, not pure, biased?
Moving at a high rate of speed to today and the antagonistic rhetoric that passes for discourse, I am realizing something again. If we ever had a moment when people listened to each other, respectfully, then articulated their own, possibly different view without rancour…that moment is very gone. It does not exist in mirage. It does not exist in memory. It does not appear to exist as a future possiblity. Events that unfolded after Trump’s (obvious to all – right and left, even Fox news acknowledged that it did sound that way) call to arms on national television and public media have brought freedom of speech discussions shouting to life. As Twitter (I love that name – so appropriate for the twits who use the format) and other platforms close down on MAGA, shutting off their life-line to the airwaves, we are faced with a renewed battle. Is it denying freedom to speak when a private company kicks someone out of the club because they are saying something extreme or unpopular? Who decides what is acceptable? What is Free Speech? Is telling a lie, Free Speech?
There are so many opinions about anything. I think the sky is misty-grey today. Another fellow thinks I have misspelled gray and that, indeed, the sky is a silver-gray. I believe I am the smartest, most righteous man alive and my inner voice just laughs and laughs at that idea. I think my neighbour is real sexy, that I wouldn’t mind a little dancing toe-to-toe with him(so to speak). I say so, I say it out loud on Facebook and my relatives think I should hold my tongue, it is vulgar to notice such a thing aloud, that I should be ashamed of myself. That is their opinion and that is that. I haven’t inquired about my neighbour’s opinion, he may not well endure such a conversation. He might say, “Hey, what the..?” That would be perhaps an unfavourable (to me) opinion. There are around 7 billion, sentient human beings on earth and 7 billion developed opinions. There are 7 billion different right ways to think or be or live or believe. Think of it, 7 billion faces of the possible God! So amazing, so complex to be human.
Each of us, I believe, does have the absolute right to our opinion. None has the inherent right to make another be still or believe as one body. I may want you to either agree or be quiet but wanting is one thing, demanding, another. No one has the right to force you, force me to shut up. I have had two marriage partners and they will both tell you that I am unlikely to shut up, that I am unlikely to watch the television news without shouting out my disagreement. I do believe and know that all ideas are valid, even those deemed by a majority of coinciding opinions to be wacky. All ideas should be available for consideration, freely. Go, ahead, speak. Tell me that Adolf Hitler was a fair man and why you think so. Whatever. Grab a megaphone (Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and others), stand up on the podium and lie your ass off. I am free to disagree, free to educate myself, free to turn off the radio, free to walk away in disgust. Here is the rub. “So,” you may say, “Calling for violent overthrow of the state is Free Speech? Speaking lies in a manner that is injurious to another is Free Speech?
Currently, there is a wave of conservative media opinion that left-wing, socially liberal media are attempting to shut certain views out of the public space. I think it’s true. I am sorry to have to say so but very, very true. There are calls to shut down right wing websites, media platforms, public groups. After the actions of Trump’s mob, Twitter, Facebook and Web-hosting companies are busily shutting off the flow of effluent. (not that I have an opinion on the quality of rhetoric being denied a lectern) There is a momentum to still the social conservative voices. Folks are sick and very tired of Rush Limbaugh, of Steve Bannon, of Franklin Graham. Ted Cruz and company have worn out any welcome they may have had in the public sphere (except from their supporters, whose numbers seem steady). Is it right to shut them down with a blanket response? Hit the switch? Stop them from speaking?
No. It is not right to shut off the flow of ideas that are unpleasant, that smell of falsehood. The civil libertarians must stand up and speak. (haha) Without cooler heads we risk a lot. We are plunging into a dangerous current by shouting for the heads of the folk we don’t agree with and I believe nearly everyone is doing this. Everyone on each of the 7 billion sides is shouting to ‘lock them up’. Well. Who should be shut down? Anyone? Whose ideas should be turned off, locked out? What ideas should be rejected, en masse? Any? Yeah. Some ideas need to stop being shouted out.
My opinion is: No, you may not stand up and urge others to grab a weapon, head downtown and tear the place up. That is not free speech. That is hate speech. That is speech that deprives another of their human rights; the right to life, liberty, the right to an opinion and the pursuit of happiness. Hate speech seeks to throttle another voice, kill a different opinion. Hate speech is speech that makes an object out a human being or a group of human beings. The N-word is hate speech. Calling someone an idiot is hate speech. Calling someone a fag, a wop, a whore, etc. is hate speech, not free speech. Telling lies, stories without evidential basis that injure another or prejudice opinion is hate speech, not free speech. All of those things are what I believe Parler, Fox news, The Proud Boys, extremists of all stripes are doing. Those things are what should be shut down, disavowed, put to rest. Our problem in the coming weeks, months is that the process of making distinction between free speech and hate speech is going to be difficult. Do the groups I mentioned have a right to a day in court? Absolutely. Does left-wing liberal media have a right to a day in court? Absolutely. Do we have the responsibility to let others speak? Absolutely… but that is just my opinion. With my opinion and $5.88, you can get a cup of cofeve and a bagel at Starbucks.
Robert On The Air 