chris_gerrib | Entries tagged with free speech

The Internet version of cleaning out the break-room refrigerator at work.

A) The Rise of 'victimhood' culture. My immediate response was "paging the Sad Puppies - Sad Puppies, please pick up a white courtesy phone." Alas, this is truly Both Sides Do It. From Holly Messinger.

B) Also from Ms. Messinger, some indie Westerns I'd like to watch.

C) A comment on free speech. Presented without endorsement.

D) Ever wonder why barber shops don't take credit cards? Wonder no more. Appropriate as I just got my hair cut this morning.

E) For management types: The Parable of the Monkeys -- The Persistence of Organizational Culture.

F) Sailors watch the birth of an island.

Current Mood: busy

Random Thought #1 - Jamokes

We have a name for the people who took over the Oregon wildlife refuge, and it's not "terrorist" it's "jamoke."

Imagine the grade of sad, stunted halfwit who decks himself out in paramilitary regalia and lethal weaponry to stage a sit-in at what is for all intents and purposes a remote wildlife park’s visitor’s center. "Okay, men, when I kick in the door, you three move on the 74-year-old v0lunteer who shows the birdwatching slideshow to elementary-school field trip groups; if she makes a move, be ready to take her down with force. The rest of us will establish a defensive position behind the cardboard beaver." If bigger goobers than these exist on our planet, you identify them by the bruises from where they poked themselves in the eye while trying to pick their noses.

from the same source (in comments): The solution to disproportionate responses by the government to persons of color is not to call for disproportionate responses by the government to white people. It’s to stop disproportionate responses against persons of color.

Random Thought #2 - "Silencing"

Disagreeing with somebody is not the same as silencing them. Money quote: This whole argument about political correctness turns the concept of “free speech” on it’s head. It basically comes down to this: Conservatives are allowed to exercise their right to free speech. But when liberals do so, it is an attempt to silence the opposition.

Current Mood: contemplative

My response to this article equating ripping a sign from a protester's hand to the resignation of Brenden Eich:

We have a definition for ripping signs out of peoples’ hands: assault. It’s illegal and I for one am against it.

I don’t want anybody to get fired for what they said off-the-job. However, telling me that “you can’t criticize Person X because Person / Organization Y will do something bad to X” means that I have (in practice) no right of free speech. In Eich’s case, there were two separate and distinct acts – the act of criticizing him and the act of accepting his resignation. One can (and should) deal with those two acts separately.

I also think that with freedom comes risk. That’s my real name up there, and it’s unique enough that a Google search will pop up me and blood relatives. So, every time I say something, I take a risk that somebody will object forcefully enough to cause me harm. That risk is the price of freedom.