I thought we were a country of free speech

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I’m getting sick and tired of the intolerance for free speech in this country. I was under the impression that the freedom of speech in the United States was protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, not to mention many state constitutions and state and federal laws.

But, I believe our freedom of speech is being restricted more and more each day. It’s being overtaken by our narcissistic desire to overdramatize the offense each of us takes to anything we disagree with.

I used to say, no one has the right to be offended in this country. That’s really not true. We all have a right to be offended, but that’s exactly where it should stop. If you offend me, I have a right to be hurt. I have a right not to want to interact with you in the future. But, I don’t have a right to silence you, to take away your freedom. Yet, that’s being done time after time after time in this country.

Recently, a Facebook friend of mine told a story on the social media site about a bad airline experience she had just had. She was flying back to Portland from the Bay Area, and she found herself in the middle seat between her husband, who had the window seat, and an obese woman who was on the aisle.

The obese woman was infringing on the space of the woman seated in the middle seat to the point that their bodies were pressed tightly against each other the entire flight. You might imagine how unhappy my Facebook friend was with that experience and the result included the exacerbation of a back injury and other discomfort.

You might imagine that the post elicited a great deal of response. The conversation that ensued was split by those who were equally upset about the injustice of an obese person placing an unsuspecting stranger in this position and those who were offended that my Facebook friend was so insensitive to the obese woman.

First of all, being a rather large man myself, I have experienced problems with airline travel before, and I can testify that it is miserable for all involved. I always take responsibility for the issue and either fly first class, or make whatever accommodations I need to in order to prevent a problem with another passenger. But, I was never offended by my Facebook friend’s account of her experience. Now I realize, insensitivity to those with weight problems may not measure up to similar instances involving race, sexual orientation or other situations, but I think it applies as something many people routinely are offended by.

I found no need to defend the obese woman or the rights of the overweight and I felt no desire to admonish the lady who was enraged. But, I think I am in the minority in this country and I don’t think I should be. I think some people need to stop whining and crying anytime something is said that offends them.

Case in point, last week ESPN suspended analyst and former Major League Curt Schilling for a controversial post on his Twitter account that re-posted a meme that read: “It’s said only 5-10% of Muslims are extremists. In 1940, only 7% of Germans were Nazis. How’d that go?’’ I assume the offended party is Muslim Americans, or possibly German Americans. But really, is this a reason for a person to be removed from his or her job in the United States?



When he was in Portland, former ESPN radio host Colin Cowherd was a good friend of mine. We worked together at a sportsradio station in Portland for a few years. Colin is a good guy and the farthest thing from a racist as can be. Cowherd was also recently pulled from ESPN for questioning the intelligence of baseball players from the Dominican Republic. Cowherd was scheduled to leave the station at a later date, but ESPN pulled the plug on his tenure early because of the outrage that followed his comment.

I could list dozens of other examples of people being persecuted in this country for making what I consider to be rather innocuous remarks. I’m not talking about legitimate exceptions to the freedom of speech, like yelling fire in a crowded movie theater, or other examples of reckless or malicious speech.

I’m a big lover of comedy. I’m a regular at Helium and Harvey’s comedy clubs in Portland. There are reports that many comedians will no longer perform on college campuses because of the repercussions of their offending bits. The kind of comedy that makes me laugh the most is the comedy that is the most offensive. I can only remember one time in my adult life when I was offended by a comedian’s act. And, I did walk out in the middle of the performance. But, I never complained. I never said a word to anyone. He had every right to the choices he made in his performance and I had every right to walk out. That’s the appropriate action and reaction. That’s where it should all end.

Didn’t the United States Supreme Court rule unanimously in 1988 (Hustler Magazine, Inc. v. Falwell, 485 U.S. 46) in the favor of free speech? If the Supreme Court says Hustler Magazine is within the law to publish a parody of religious leader Jerry Falwell, shouldn’t we all be able to say what’s on our minds without the fear of some ridiculous consequences or retribution?

Come on people, get over yourselves. Your fragile sensitivities are making me sick.

Ken Vance

Editor