Peggy Noonan writing in the Wall Street Journal Editorial Page, asks: Why do Americans on the left think only they have the right to dissent?
Then answers her own question:
There’s a pattern here, isn’t there?
It is not only about rage and resentment, and how some have come to see them as virtues, as an emblem of rightness. I feel so much, therefore my views are correct and must prevail. It is about something so obvious it is almost embarrassing to state. Free speech means hearing things you like and agree with, and it means allowing others to speak whose views you do not like or agree with. This–listening to the other person with respect and forbearance, and with an acceptance of human diversity–is the price we pay for living in a great democracy. And it is a really low price for such a great thing.
We all know this, at least in the abstract. Why are so many forgetting it in the particular?
Let us be more pointed. Students, stars, media movers, academics: They are always saying they want debate, but they don’t. They want their vision imposed. They want to win. And if the win doesn’t come quickly, they’ll rush the stage, curse you out, attempt to intimidate.
This isn’t isolated to the Left. It happens on the Right, too. But on the Right it’s so infrequent and rare these days that it’s an exception when it happens. On the Left, it’s becoming the Rule of the Day.
But on the Right it’s so infrequent and rare these days that it’s an exception when it happens.
Ever heard of free speech zones?
It’s no surprise that President Bush is out of touch: he lives in a bubble protected from both newspapers and the views of average Americans.
Ever heard of free speech zones?
Ever heard of free speech cages? Leftard Hypocrisy
Ever heard of free speech cages?
I agree that the practice should be banned.
I agree with you almost totally, except at the end where you say it almost never happens on the right. That depends on the circumstances and the context. On who you are, and where you are. For example, if you are standing outside your local First Baptist Church before or after services, and somebody brings up the subject of abortion, if you disagree you might want to consider remaining silent. You probably wouldn’t get killed, of course, if you expressed a belief in a womans right to choose. You might, however, get quite the chilly reception the following Sunday.
Whether or not free speech is stifled depends on whether you agree with the speech that is being stifled. It’s all a matter of opinion. It’s not that the speech is stifled so much as it is being ignored or shouted down. Happens on all sides of debate today. There is very little civil disagreement on anything today.
I very rarely comment when I visit sites, believe it or not. I am more of a debate consumer, as opposed to a debate manufacturer Lately, I am dismayed to discover that I can no longer visit certain sites or places because I cannot tolerate the tone of discussion. And that is true of sites on the right and the left. I do not like that about myself because I really do want to hear all opinions and viewpoints, but I find the increasing hostility towards dissent is uncomfortable. I find that I am becoming more isolated from debate as a result, and I’m not particularly proud of that. And I do not think that I am alone in this phenomenon.