We should never expect our actions to be inconsequential. Ideas too often carry consequences, sometimes social, sometimes legal. When we exercise our right to free expression we can expect our words to trigger responses which can range from enthusiastic acceptance to furious outrage, but we should never be willing to accept violence as an acceptable response to ideological dissent. Today, the Pope suggested that freedom of expression does not grant the right to offend ones religious sensitivities. He said, “One cannot provoke, one cannot insult other people’s faith, one cannot make fun of faith. There is a limit. Every religion has its dignity.” Though he is absolutely free to express his opinion, I happen to disagree with his Holiness the Pope. Freedom of expression DOES grant the right to offend, and provoke, and insult others. These expressions may trigger social repercussions and legal ramifications, but the free marketplace of ideas is truly free. One can indeed provoke, and insult, and poke fun of others faith, friends and family, it is a birth-right of the human condition- to express oneself, right or wrong, respectfully or in a manner insulting to the audience. How that expression is reconstructed and responded to, is the burden of the audience. I surmise that the Sadducees and Pharisees felt quite provoked and insulted when Jesus Christ referred to them as “whited walls” or “hypocrites” or “sons of perdition.” What many may find offensive, many others might find artistic, and vice versa. We can’t confuse appropriateness with the right of expression (just because you can, doesn’t mean you should). Some may argue that the content of Charle Hebdo’s magazine is appropriate, funny, and artistic- I personally find that smut under the guise of satire is still smut. But I do not hold a monopoly in the free market of ideas, neither do you, neither do the Islamic radicals, neither does the Pope. No one is entitled to a tyranny of ideas. What we do hold, universally, is the right to choose which ideas we accept and consume, but we cannot (should not) impose our ethical boundaries on the expression of others. Never should we be willing to surrender our ability to express ourselves freely in fear of what others might do in response to our words. In the free marketplace of ideas there will always be someone who doesnt accept what we think or how we express it. Violence is never an acceptable response.
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 21:52:20 +0000
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