3 ms·

> There was a time period when the left was for free speech and the right was wanting to constrain it. When was this - and can you give examples of left and ri

> There was a time period when the left was for free speech and the right was wanting to constrain it. When was this - and can you give examples of left and right acting the way you described in the past?

letterlib 4y ago
There are a lot of examples of this and the left has had some truly great advocates for free speech. In terms of time period, the Red Scare and Mccarthyism was a time when the left was being heavily censored by the right. The Civil Rights movements as well with MLK during the 1960s and then Frank Kameny in the 1970s trying to get rights for gays. Other leftist advocates for free speech include Obama, Elenor Roosevelt, and Aryeh Neier are brilliant examples.
- sangnoir 4y ago
  What counts as "free speech" tends to be subjective: was MLK pro-free-speech or against it? That depends on whose speech you're considering. I can give even earlier counter-examples with left/right flipped (e.g. abolitionist literature in the south). My initial point wasn't that it never happened, only to show there were never deliberate, strategic positions on free speech by the left or right- only messy tactical circumstances. Not long before McCarthyism was Japanese internment by a giant of the left: FDR. Obama famously called someone a "jack-ass" after they exercised their free speech on-stage. He also railed against the Citizens United ruling. Having a binary "for/against free speech" is reductive.
  - nautilius 4y ago
    So why do you think Obama does not have a right to free speech?
  - JKCalhoun 4y ago
    > Obama famously called someone a "jack-ass" after they exercised their free speech on-stage. I thought that a strange comment. Disapproving of what one says is clearly not the same as condemning free speech.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
annowiki 4y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Speech_Movement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Speech_Movement Mario's "Operation of the Machine" speech is pretty good. Also worth noting, often these groups were not quite as egalitarian as they're thought to be. SDS for instance had quite a bit of sexism in its operations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Students_for_a_Democratic_Society#Women_and_SDS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Students_for_a_Democratic_Soci... I have no position on this debate, I just thought you'd want a little context.

letterlib 4y ago

There are a lot of examples of this and the left has had some truly great advocates for free speech. In terms of time period, the Red Scare and Mccarthyism was a time when the left was being heavily censored by the right. The Civil Rights movements as well with MLK during the 1960s and then Frank Kameny in the 1970s trying to get rights for gays. Other leftist advocates for free speech include Obama, Elenor Roosevelt, and Aryeh Neier are brilliant examples.

sangnoir 4y ago
What counts as "free speech" tends to be subjective: was MLK pro-free-speech or against it? That depends on whose speech you're considering. I can give even earlier counter-examples with left/right flipped (e.g. abolitionist literature in the south). My initial point wasn't that it never happened, only to show there were never deliberate, strategic positions on free speech by the left or right- only messy tactical circumstances. Not long before McCarthyism was Japanese internment by a giant of the left: FDR. Obama famously called someone a "jack-ass" after they exercised their free speech on-stage. He also railed against the Citizens United ruling. Having a binary "for/against free speech" is reductive.
- nautilius 4y ago
  So why do you think Obama does not have a right to free speech?
- JKCalhoun 4y ago
  > Obama famously called someone a "jack-ass" after they exercised their free speech on-stage. I thought that a strange comment. Disapproving of what one says is clearly not the same as condemning free speech.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]

annowiki 4y ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Speech_Movement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Speech_Movement Mario's "Operation of the Machine" speech is pretty good. Also worth noting, often these groups were not quite as egalitarian as they're thought to be. SDS for instance had quite a bit of sexism in its operations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Students_for_a_Democratic_Society#Women_and_SDS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Students_for_a_Democratic_Soci... I have no position on this debate, I just thought you'd want a little context.