The Right to Tell the Government to Go to Hell
By John W. Whitehead
“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”― George Orwell
Free speech is not for the faint of heart.
Nor is it for those who are easily offended, readily intimidated or
who need everything wrapped in a neat and tidy bow. Free speech is often
messy, foul-mouthed, obscene, intolerant, undignified, insensitive,
cantankerous, bawdy and volatile.
While free speech can also be tender, tolerant, soft-spoken,
sensitive and sweet, it is free speech’s hot-blooded alter ego—the
wretched, brutal, beastly Mr. Hyde to its restrained, dignified and
civil Dr. Jekyll—that tests the limits of our so-called egalitarian
commitment to its broad-minded principles.
Unfortunately, our appreciation for a robust freedom of speech has worn thin over the years.
