{"id":2349,"date":"2010-08-28T07:46:05","date_gmt":"2010-08-28T11:46:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nicholsclan.com\/tinblog\/?p=2349"},"modified":"2010-11-24T09:42:54","modified_gmt":"2010-11-24T14:42:54","slug":"becks-rally-legal-but-is-it-insensitive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timscogitorium.com\/tinblog\/2010\/08\/becks-rally-legal-but-is-it-insensitive.html","title":{"rendered":"Beck\u2019s rally legal, but is it insensitive?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Angry<\/a>
Photo by Robert Acevedo on Flickr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 1st Amendment in particular, and the essence of our culture in general, provide ample protection for anyone to express themselves about anything anywhere.\u00a0 This is one of the few agreements to be had across the political spectrum.\u00a0 But lately a few significant examples have arisen begging the question not of the right, but rather the propriety of such expression.\u00a0 Just because it’s legal to do a thing, is it still in our collective best interest for you to do so?<\/p>\n

First up is the controversy over the Islamic Community Center<\/a> in Manhattan (aka the Ground-Zero Mosque), and it’s counterpoint, Pastor Terry Jones’ “Burn a Quran Day”<\/a> festival.\u00a0 Both situations involve religions and whether or not there is some sort of obligation for mutual respect.<\/p>\n

Next up, we have today’s “Restoring Honor<\/a>” rally being held by Glenn Beck and Fox News on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.\u00a0 While claiming it wasn’t intentional, the rally is being held on the anniversary of, and in the location of, the famous Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have a Dream” speech.\u00a0 Beck has rationalized that his rally will re-energize the civil rights movement in America.\u00a0 Yet many African-Americans are having trouble seeing that the plight of white conservatives in 2010 has a lot in common with the issues the black community faced in the 1960s.\u00a0 Especially since it was largely white conservatives who were<\/em> the issue facing blacks 50 years ago.\u00a0 It’s not hard to see that Beck’s rally might be perceived as disrespectful of Dr. King’s legacy.<\/p>\n

Finally, Dr. Laura Schlessinger was compelled to announce her retirement<\/a> after a radio tirade where she said the “N-word” eleven times.\u00a0 She is claiming to be the victim here, although it’s worth noting that despite her assertions, this is not a 1st Amendment issue because the government did not censor her.\u00a0 Her employer did based on sponsor reaction to her show.\u00a0 This is actually the way it’s supposed to work.\u00a0 You get to say what you want, but people get to vote with their ears, feet, and wallets as to whether or not you deserve further attention.\u00a0\u00a0 The right to expression does not extend to a guarantee to have an audience.<\/p>\n

Make no mistake, America’s history is rife with examples of boisterous expressions trampling an individual’s or a group’s feelings.\u00a0 After all, there is no assurance in this country you won’t get your nose bent out of shape by someone else expressing their freedoms.\u00a0 But what’s also clear is that you can’t have it both ways.\u00a0 You can’t make “in your face” expressions on the one hand, and then turn around and act like a wounded puppy the next time you get a verbal bloody nose.\u00a0 This is something Mosque opponent and Beck rally guest speaker Sarah Palin might keep in mind as she was quick to support Dr. Laura<\/a> and rail against her being pushed out of her job.\u00a0 Yet Palin was equally quick to call for Rahm Emanuel’s head<\/a> back in February when he referred to a group of liberal activists as “retarded”.<\/p>\n

Freedom is a messy business.\u00a0 You can’t have yours and expect to be insulated from everyone else’s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 1st Amendment in particular, and the essence of our culture in general, provide ample protection for anyone to express<\/p>\n

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