Think of how much less fun the world would be without free speech like this! And I am saying this with no sarcasm, whatsoever.
1 Like
Shhhh!!! Someone might hear you!
Howâs that? If everyone were intelligent, people wouldnât say this stuff anyway. So what youâre really saying is how much fun it is that we have stupid people saying offensive things. I fail to see how thatâs a good thing.
And really, the idea that we have true free speech is absurd. We censor ourselves every damn dayâŚwhen itâs a powerful person or group weâre worried about offending. Itâs only with the powerless that we truly have free speech. When your subordinate has a dumb idea, you can tell him itâs dumb, regardless of how angry it makes him. But if itâs your boss, you keep your mouth shut. Similarly, you can say things to the rent-a-cop at the mall that youâd never say to a real cop, because one has power and the other doesnât. Legally, theyâre no different and you can insult cops all you want. But in reality, you respect the person with authority by censoring yourself.
And with cartoons, if a bigot in a Christian country draws a picture of Mohammed raping children, people celebrate it because those stupid Muslims have no real power to stop us besides resorting to extreme violence; which we use to justify having offended them in the first place. Try doing that with a cartoon of Jesus, and youâll be lucky to ever work again as Fox News and talk radio make you a villain for the next twenty years. And in Muslim countries, thatâd be reversed. They have free speech to insult Jesus all they want, while they might get in trouble for drawing Mohammed at all. Itâs all about who has the power.
And wellâŚIâve got a real problem with a system that celebrates when we trample over the powerless while the powerful remain unscathed. And how people get soooo offended that a powerless group uses extreme measures to flex power over us, while pretending that we donât censor ourselves from people so powerful they can ruin us without even leaving their homes. And the best answer is: Treat everyone with respect, period. Not because theyâre powerful or weak, but because itâs just the right thing to do. I fail to see how thatâs difficult, since I do it every day.
4 Likes
I agree with you, asking a human rights lawyer if he supports a group that clearly violates human rights day in and day out is as stupid and offensive as it can get.
Asking a muslim in America if he/she supports ISIS is another stupid and dumb question, what the possible answer could be?
I think asking the rich black businessman about the latest Jay Zâs album can only bring 3 possible answers: He does like it, he doesnât like it or has no opinion. If he feels that that question is racist and offensive then he is really not a rich man, too stupid to be making any money.
Man, then Iâd have to assume the âCowering Democratâ stance and apologize profusely to the nearest right-wing prick.
If we said what we really think, we might lose!!! Wait, what is it we really think again�
Iâm not sure, but moving to the right is the only way to get elected. Better keep moving to the right.
When life gives you Don Lemon, make him regret it.
2 Likes
Youâre still not getting it. It doesnât matter if the rich black businessman is offended or not; itâs still racist to even ask the question. The problem is in using skin color to make any guesses about the person at all.
Like if a black guy started asking you about country music, rodeos, and if you like the new season of Duck Dynasty. Now, thatâd make sense if youâre wearing a cowboy hat, boots, and a hunting vest. But otherwise, itâs racist to even THINK that racial stereotypes are a place to start a conversation. Similarly, if a rich black businessman is wearing a cowboy hat, boots, and a hunting vest; maybe country music would be a good place to start. Itâs all about picking up clues from who they are individually, and not based on the group theyâre in.
Because skin color tells you literally nothing about anyone besides the color of their skin. In fact, itâs one of the WORST ways to judge people. Similarly, hearing that someone is Christian doesnât mean you should assume theyâre a fundamentalist creationist a-hole, even though atheists make that mistake all the time. As it turns out, everyone is an individual, which is why you should judge them based on specific clues about them; not superficial stereotypes.
3 Likes
Lemon has been particularly dumb and/or offensive recently. Iâve wondered if he isnât auditioning for Faux News, at least to have them as a bargaining chip in his next contract negotiation. Whether thatâs agenda or simple stupidity, it doesnât say much for him. As for CNNâŚtheyâev always been a pretty threadbare operation from the start, without much real depth. I watch BBC at home but CNN is unavoidable on the road.
1 Like
Black hole penis
Chomp my weenis
And take my plane awaaaaay
Black hole penis
Please donât cum
Please donât cum
1 Like
Keep your day job.
2 Likes
Lemon is just plain dumb, no more qualified for his job than some high school kid would be.
I just wish the lawyer would have said âlet me be frankâ instead of âhonestâ.Presumably heâs honest all the time.
Now heâs being candid or frank. Thereâs a difference.
:
I like the thrust of where youâre going, but Iâd have used the example of whether you would ever see Lemon asking a Baptist human rights lawyer whether they were supporters of the Westboro Baptist Church.
Thatâs nothing like the same level of extremism as what Lemon was implying with his question, but itâs startling enough to get the point across.
1 Like
Because you are brown and of Middle East extraction, you must support ISIS? Hey, youâre white so you must support the KKK, right?
2 Likes
No, it wonât. Wishful thinking.
If itâs only against the powerless that we truly have free speech, how do you explain all the vitriol aimed at our current President, or the one who preceded him? The fact that some people are afraid to say what they think does not mean the right is non-existent.
As for offensive cartoons, be they about religion, or any other subject-I think they are an essential part of satire, which is an essential part of free speech.
1 Like
Heâs the4 Cretin News Notworkâs low-hanging fruit.
I always use the Irish/IRA as a comparison. If he had asked an Irish civil rights lawyer if he supported the IRA I would have thought that was out of line but not the horrible gaffe that others think it was. As others have noted MUSLIM IS NOT A RACE ⌠there are blond-haired blue eyes Muslims in central/eastern Europe and Afghanistan. People who call this racism are looking to plug into a real sense of racial injustice in this country which this topic DOES NOT DESERVE.
1 Like
He has a great mentor at CNN - Wolf Blitzer.