This weekend I wrote a column for the Washington Post on the crackdown of free speech in France. The column suggested that, if the French really wanted to honor the dead at Charlie Hebdo, they would rescind the laws used to hound them and threaten them with criminal prosecution for years. (Indeed, at least one surviving journalist expressed contempt for those who now support free speech but remained silent in the face of past efforts to shut down the magazine). Now, however, news reports indicate that the French government is doubling down on criminalizing speech in the name of free speech after the massacre. France has reportedly made dozens of arrests of people who glorify terrorism and engage in hateful or antiSemitic speech.
Prosecutors have gone out of their way to make it known that they are prosecuting people for speech — a remarkably ironic twist since the victims were prosecuted for the very same thing and died defending free speech against such private or governmental speech codes. Some 54 people have been arrested since the Paris terror attacks. The French justice department has encouraged more arrests for speech violations.
Notably, one of those detained was mentioned in my column, the comedian Dieudonne, who has been prosecuted for anti-Semitic jokes. For earlier posts and columns on Dieudonne, click here and here and here. We have previously discussed the alarming rollback on free speech rights in the West, particularly in France (here and here and here and here and here and here) and England ( here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here). Much of this trend is tied to the expansion of hate speech and non-discrimination laws. We have seen comedians targets with such court orders under this expanding and worrisome trend. (here and here).
The crackdown in France shows that this is really not about free speech despite the rally in Paris. The West seems to be falling out of faith with free speech, which is now something to be prosecuted rather than protected. Of course, the prosecutions will do little to change minds and will only make the West appear hypocritical and arbitrary. Notably, the arrests this week include four minors. The government is also ramping greater surveillance and searches. So, to recap, the French government just rallied millions for liberty this weekend and then used the attacks to further deny free speech and privacy rights.
In the case of Dieudonne, he ran afoul of the laws by posing a Facebook statement that he felt like “Charlie Coulibaly” — merging the names of Charlie Hebdo and Amedy Coulibaly, the gunman who seized a kosher market and killed four hostages. It was later taken down. He later wrote to the Interior Minister that “Whenever I speak, you do not try to understand what I’m trying to say, you do not want to listen to me. You are looking for a pretext to forbid me. You consider me like Amedy Coulibaly when I am not any different from Charlie.”
Chip,
I suspect his answer will be something along the lines of “not American”.
Freedom of Speech does not mean freedom from consequences. I find myself frustrated by the PC movement and the shift toward censorship of speech that “offends” someone. That is the whole point of having free speech in the first place! All sides of the political spectrum are guilty of this trend to a degree.
Free speech should be self governed by a sense of tact and of social responsibility, but both of those traits are in peril in this age of social media. I think many are confused and believe Free Speech also includes Freedom from the Consequences of their speech. This belief is wrong.
Although not the best example… Several years ago a group of outstanding musicians, The Dixie Chicks, were in England and publicly criticized President Bush specifically and American policy in general. As Americans, they had a first amendment right to do this. Although I disagreed with what they said, I would defend to the end their right to say it.
Unfortunately, by expressing their opinion in the manner they chose, they managed to deeply offend the vast majority of their fan base. Who subsequently decided to enact some consequences on The Dixie Chicks by refusing to purchase concert tickets and CD’s. If I remember correctly, the entire US Tour was downsized and eventually cancelled. Exercising their first amendment rights in the manner they chose literally cost them millions of dollars.
Free speech is hard… and as offensive as it can be at times… is something that Americans will deeply regret losing once we allow the government to take away.
If that helps you sleep olicou, then live the dream.
I’d call olicou a skeptic rather than a hater. It’s a reasonable thing to discuss, provided we’re all talking about the same thing wrt “exceptionalism”.
I’m reasonably sure that most Italians prefer Italy to the US, but that doesn’t go to the core of what “AE” means to me.
What do you mean by “exceptionalism”, olicou?
olicou, Jealousy is not becoming. And, Italian food is worth dying for. French food, just pretentious and pedestrian. Great cheese and wine, though. But, I wouldn’t die for it.
Olly, We got us a new hater of the US. He/she/transgender seemed like a Frenchmen. But, apparently just hates us. Well, he/she/transgender is standing in a long line. I wear their scorn as a badge of honor.
I don’t believe a well-read economist will believe in the American Dream. Climbing the social ladder is more likely in many developped countries than in the USA (check “intergenerational mobility”).
Reading widely is good. So is reading deeply.
I think you could learn some more about intergenerational mobility. For ex., every decile movement through the income distribution in the US represents a substantially bigger change in income than in the Scandi countries. Also, less of the variation in income mobility can be explained by family factors in countries where there are lots of innate similarities among families. This has nothing to do w/ public policy.
Nick Spinelli: Did you see the number of people that die trying to get to Italy (3400 last year)? Is it for Italian Exceptionalism or just good pizza? Again, nothing special about the USA.
Olly,I am just saying that “America #1” or “American Exceptionalism” is bullcrap. No one is #1. Various countries share the top ranking at various criteria. USA is … average.
olicou wrote: “Olly,I am just saying that “America #1″ or “American Exceptionalism” is bullcrap. No one is #1.”
I hope you would not feel that way about your wife. I hope you don’t counsel people to think that way about their spouses. There is nothing wrong with patriotism and nationalism. On the contrary, these are good things. You are basically arguing that patriotism is crap. That is not a good idea. Accept that people are going to love their country, and that is a good thing, like when someone for better or worse, loves their spouse.
olicou,
I can’t imagine an intelligent anybody wasting one second of there time trying to prove something is not true if they weren’t already convinced it was.
olicou, Then Why the hell do people want to come here so badly? Why do people DIE trying to get to the US?
Trooper, When I was in high school we had a routine, Times Square during the day, and then Washington Square in the evening, drinking beer in paper bags and smoking some herb. Always a slice or two of pie to sober up before the drive home. We saw some Pam Greer flicks in Times Square. I loved the way Tarantino rekindled her career in Jackie Brown. She was great vampin’ w/ Samuel L Jackson.
I can’t imagine a smart, highly travelled, American to still believe in American Exceptionalism. Most liberal countries have developed their own sense of freedom. In Nordic countries, for instance, you can walk on anybody’s land as long as you don’t disturb anything. There is nothing exceptional as being “free” and its a long tradition that predates the American Constitution.
Moreover, I don’t believe a well-read economist will believe in the American Dream. Climbing the social ladder is more likely in many developped countries than in the USA (check “intergenerational mobility”).
Just check the numbers for anything. Apart from total and average GNP, which I explained by the access to enormous ressources rather than a special attachment to freedom, America has nothing exceptional.
olicou wrote: “I can’t imagine a smart, highly travelled, American to still believe in American Exceptionalism.”
LOL. It sounds to me like maybe you haven’t traveled much. I’ve traveled a good bit. I’ve circumnavigated the globe twice. I believe in American Exceptionalism. I believe in the American Dream.
This doesn’t mean that I think Americans are better than everybody else. It simply means that we have some exceptional principles that have caused generations here in this land to prosper. And our prosperity has filtered out to virtually every country on earth. Other countries in the world watch us and look upon what we are going to do next. When I walk in Egypt, they call out the names of my past Presidents to get me to come over and bargain with them. When I walk in China, people come stand next to me so they can get their picture with an American to show their friends. I am amazed when I travel the world how many foreigners play American songs, in the limousine or taxi, in restaurants and shops. Even when they don’t speak English, we have an influence upon them through music and film. That influence isn’t always good, but it’s there. I also note how many are using technology pushed forward by human inventors like Steve Jobs. Sure, the Chinese manufacture and build the products, but the Americans had the vision for it, designed it, and put the production in motion.
We have a neighbor to the south here, Mexico, that is impoverished because of corrupt government that lacks our principles. Also, Cuba, Haiti, etc., they risk their lives trying to get over here to taste just a little bit of what we have. They hope just for the chance of eating our crumbs. Why? Because we are average? I don’t think so.
I will mention one country that is far more exceptional than us in one category — Respect. That country is Japan. They teach respect and honor. It is evident throughout their culture. We Americans need to take lessons from the Japanese in this department. No doubt about it. No other country that I have ever been to has the level of respect for others than what I have seen in my interactions with the Japanese. They make you feel like you are the most important person in the world.
And I could go on and mention other countries that are pleasant in certain categories. However, pointing out exceptionalism in other countries does not negate the ways in which the USA has been an exceptional country. And trying to convince us that our country is not exceptional is like trying to convince a man that his wife is not exceptional. It does not matter how many faults you point out, a man generally sees the good points in his wife and his love for her overlooks any minor faults that seem to be major faults to others. We love our country. Accept it.
I wish hyperlinks showed up more clearly here.
Of course I hung around Times Square. They had great Kung Fu and blacksploitatian movies back then. None of this politically correct Lion King nonsense.
You could catch a double bill of “Blackula” and “Enter the Dragon”…get vd….and get stabbed all for five bucks.
“Memories. Misty water colored memories of the way we were.”
(you could call memories colored back then and nobody got insulted. It was a simpler time)
I like how you did not plead no contest, but “Guilty” like a man!
{yawn}
Guilty.
Anon, I don’t give a fig about Spinelli. I do however respond in kind. It serves a purpose far beyond Spinelli or any buffoon who comments here. People should not be cowed by aggression.
Bad puns are your specialty, my man.
Nick, if you’re in a labor union you can picket your scabs.