We have long discussed the rapid decline of free speech protections in the West. I have long argued that the West appears to have fallen out of love with free speech, which is more often viewed as a rising scourge rather than a defining value in some countries. A recent poll of the Pew Research Center shows just how many people we have lost to those calling for greater censorship and criminalization of speech. It is not surprisingly more prevalent with younger age groups, though Democrats are almost twice as likely favor censorship that Republicans. The largest (and most alarming) group is the millennials — 40% of whom favor government censorship of speech offensive to minority groups.
Thirty-five percent of Democrats supported such bans as opposed to 18 percent of Republicans.
The least likely to support censorship were people who have lived long enough to know the dangers — only 21 percent of those 70 and older supported such censorship. The numbers go down by age (and experience).
The figures on Democrats is particularly disappointing. Democrats once rallied around free speech values in organizing campuses and protests in the 60s. Those baby boomers now appear to have acquired a taste for censorship and speech regulation.
It is good to know that some 58 percent of millennials have not fallen for the siren’s call of censorship. However, these numbers appear to be rising. 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 even seen comedians targets with such court orders under this expanding and worrisome trend. (here and here).
From the growing free speech regulations on campuses to the demands for the expansion of hate crimes, we are seeing the early signs of the taste for censorship that appeared in Europe years ago. Once people start to censor speech, they develop an insatiable appetite for censorship and criminalization of speech.
Here is the Pew Report.
If you are a Catholic be careful of what you say. And where you say it. The Pew Research Center has a microphone hidden by your pew at the Cat O Lic Church. Everything you say may be used against you. If the Fou itShays, wear it. If you know any Millennials then advise them to keep quiet. Their views are well known as it is. If you harbour any Millennials in your home then think twice. If you live in Bar Harbour then you are second cousin twice removed.
Regressive librarians like to hang out in a quiet library. When people come in an disturb our peace we get angry. These 40 percent millennials need to shut up. They need to censor their cell phones. They need to quit living with mommy and daddy when they are forty. They need to….
The interesting thing is how the left and the right are co-aligning on the fascist police state that is coming to America. Or, rather it’s here.
Reblogged this on THE ABSURD TIMES — STILL and commented:
A very depressing report. Remember flag-burning? Today it would be censored, I imagine.
hskiprob,
“We studies (sic) the Communists Manifesto one quarter and the teacher has up reading it everyday and…”
Shame on you for replicating, nay, mocking the speech of plantation negroes in the pejorative. You may be
in violation of both the American right to Restriction of Speech and the official Political Correctness
Doctrine.
Moving on – any presentation of any form of enslaving collectivism in any classroom should be a crime.
The scenario you referenced would be akin to the Devil being allow to speak/preach in a Bible study class.
“That dudn’t make any sense.”
Just typos dude, ease up. This is just a blog. I don’t always edit my comments because I’m multi-tasking. I know you understood every word I wrote though.
I’m a libertarian so I think the Communist Manifesto (CM) should be taught in high school, but surely by a competent instructor. Obviously, the point I was making is that, in 10th grade I am supposed to understand that the CM was written by a sociopath providing the ruling oligarchs a method in which to fool the Citizens into accepting various redistribution of wealth schemes under the alleged common good pretense?
I’m not sure I know what point you were making. My instructor was more interested in increasing his football coaching career and in hindsight appeared incompetent to teach this particular course.
Oh, and one additional comment from Archie Bunker on “All In the Family”:
“… the first amendment guarantees … the right to bear a machine gun … If you got a gun in your hand, you’re free to make any speech you want to …”
BFM,
Why not resolve your concern in one fell swoop. Understanding that all education is local – Abe Lincoln’s was obtained in his home by the fireside – the oxymoronic contradiction in terms that is the Department of Education, has no constitutional mandate, no rationale, no function, should never have been created and should be eliminated forthwith. Ideological indoctrination is not a constitutional mandate.
The lazy, greedy teachers union thugs have got us all fooled, huh? The critical component of education isn’t in Washington, D.C., it is in the student’s cranial vault; or not. Capable students can overcome ineffective teachers, but even effective teachers can’t overcome incapable students. You can’t make every student Einstein no matter how many taxpayers dollars you squander.
The Department of Education should rename itself the Department of Redistribution of Wealth to Lazy Teachers and Governmental Workers Being Gifted “Comparable Pay.” Holy Geez! I could be wrong. That name may be too long to be practicable.
P.S. Oh, did I mention superfluous, extraneous and inane curricula – East Timoran Studies, seriously?
“The Department of Education should rename itself the Department of Redistribution of Wealth to Lazy Teachers and Governmental Workers Being Gifted “Comparable Pay.” Holy Geez! I could be wrong. That name may be too long to be practicable.”
Hmmm…. DORWLTGWBG. Well that does have a ring to it.
And it does simplify the application process. If you can remember the name of the department you’re hired.
And let’s not forget redundant layers of costly incompetency under the guise of educational authority and professionalism. The Federal Government is “far” superior at determining curricula and testing mandates, than local and state.
For me I just wish they would have taught me what I wanted to learn. I was interested in fluid dynamics and physics. They were teaching me Shakespeare. We studies the Communists Manifesto one quarter and the teacher has up reading it everyday and never gave us one lecture or question and answer session.
It took me until I read Milton Friedman’s book Free To Choose before I really understand the differences between socialism and communism and how much socialism we had adopted as law. The entire 1928 and 1932 platforms of the American Socialist Party are now law in the Country despite us being taught in grade school and junior high, why communism doesn’t work.
1st Amendment
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
_____
This law didn’t establish polite poetry.
This law established the right to offensive speech.
That is the whole point.
We may all insult the King.
_____
This law is like a self-tightening knot or barbs on a fishhook.
The more the speaker offends, the stronger his right becomes.
Could you imagine being in a court room and you are guilty until proven innocent? I think this where we are headed.
I don’t know if I mentioned this before, but I am a minority. As a matter of fact I am the only one I know who is remotely like myself. I acknowledge that in a personal sense I am pleasingly large. However the fact that there is only one of me qualifies me as a really, really small minority.
And I cannot tell you how uncomfortable I am with all this talk of restricting free speech. As a matter of fact I would have to say that I am offended – deeply, deeply offended by the idea of restricting free speech.
Could someone please prevail upon the Department of Education to send out a letter requiring universities to expel students and fire faculty who advocate restricting free speech?
I would feel so much safer. And I would be so appreciative.
Thanking you in advance for you timely action on this important matter.
So while the little twerps and punks are emotionally unable to hear and ignore certain words (last I heard, words can’t hurt you), they want some of that speech criminalized. How will that be enforced? Enforcement is usually imposed by armed goons employed by the government. So in other words, the fragile snowflakes would prefer to see someone physically apprehended and detained for uttering something the fragile snowflakes didn’t like, rather than be tolerant and mature. That makes them the little cupcakes the actual aggressors here, hence why the idea of freedom of speech is so important.
I am not a liberal, Nor am I a libertarian. Nor a Progressive. I am a regressive librarian and no one better invade my space. I am also the biggest disgrace to the aborigine race and my boomerang won’t come back. And I can not ride a kangaroo.
Jack, it is so good to see a man stand up for something, if not himself.
How do you define “offensive”? As an experiment what a university should do Is to put 535 millenniums in a room and tell them to define the term Offensive and that they must keep coming back once a week for 4 hours at a time until 3/4’s of the group agrees both to the definition and the specific examples covered by that definition. I chose that percentage because three quarters of the States are required to ratify a constitutional amendment. If one person misses a meeting, other than for a medical emergency, a final vote cannot be taken and a quorum is >94%. Let them see what it’s like to properly ratify the Constitution.
After a year the majority of them will understand why I am a libertarian.
It is not something so strange. The West died a long time ago. America is really a Marxist state. The Constitution is dead, there is no rule of law anymore. Political Correctness is Cultural Marxism. All our educational institutions teach political correctness and so Marxist culture. Face it, America is a Marxist country and its enforcing its standards and values.
The tolerant liberals once again showing their fascist roots and their Socialist foundation of censorship of opposing views. They are a train wreck of destructive policies and childish finger pointing and are bent on the destruction of America.
I know it’s off topic, but our country is losing it’s freedoms. We have Donald Sterling forced to sell his NBA team, free speech not allowed on PUBLIC campuses, etc. We have expensive health insurance forced on all of us. Even auto insurance is forced on us (thank god for $25/month Insurance Panda coverage). What’s next? Mandatory phone insurance? We have taxes on top of taxes and our freedoms are slowly disappearing. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington would be rolling in their graves.
Liberals are all bullies. They are non tolerant and don’t want any opposition.
Did I somehow miss the burning of our Constitution? Or is it no longer the law of the land because some of the authors were slave owners?
Note to JT – where is the outcry from all of the Constitutional Attorneys?
If all millenials are the offspring of lefties then we have a lot of lefties. I think that the offspring are equa-distant and their mentality is not factored by politics but by aversion to interference with hand held smart phone use.