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Originally Posted by SykkBoy
Being a champion of free speech often means defending speech I personally find offenseive...so it's not easy...but when we start regulating thought and writing, it becomes a slippery slope. What comes next and who decides what is obscene? I'm sure there are some church going folks who would have a different definition of what is obscene or offensive. Maybe we should let them make all the laws (oops ;-))
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they do make the laws right? everyone does. laws are the product of elected officials representing the will of their consituents. laws can be amended and rescinded anytime.
i love this conversation because it highlights exactly what you just said and what has already been before the supreme court.... protecting speech means protecting a lot of things you might find vulgar or offensive. its just not a black and white issue. it can't be. in fact, there often seems to be more gray than anything and that is really what the discussion is about.
people are arguing about what is appropriate, innapropriate and so on... and forgetting the basic point either you draw a line somewhere in determining what speech is protected... or you have no line at all. and you have to ask yourself what is a better world... a world where ones right to express themself is absolutely protected or a world where someone is deciding for you, what is appropriate, what is innapropriate, what is offensive, what is acceptable, what is unnaceptable and so on. and once you accept that, you will have to accept that those boundaries might move in ways you never considered they might.
do i think that writing about a person fingering a 6 month old infant objectionable? of course i do. should he be able to write about it? yes, i think so.