[at-l] RE: "No one has an unacceptable position!"

[michaelh@ospreypacks.com (Michael Henderson)]

I normally don't weigh in on the more politically oriented issues here,
mainly because I don't exercise much thought in that arena to adequately
express my poorly reasoned notions, but I liked both the posts below and
might as well comment, as I have no other directly trail-related
anecdotes at this time - been doing too much climbing and kayaking.

I remember Warren's readings at the Gathering, thought they would have
been best expressed in a different forum, but conceded he had the right
to read them.  In the end, I chalk it up to Warren being Warren, who has
a penchant for being controversial - he thrives on it, it seems.

Anyway, as to Bill's point (below), Warren places a high value on the
content of his own speech, and has the right to do so.  Following right
along to Panzer's point (belower), everyone else has the right to
(indeed, one can argue that everyone is obligated to) decide whether
that content is acceptable or not.

Warren (and others) believes it is acceptable, others believe it is
unacceptable, and there is nothing wrong with the dicotomy.  The
important thing is not confuse the right to speech with the right to
disagree with that same speech - the right to disagree is not the same
as the right to prevent the speech in the first place.

Enuf from me, I'm exhausted...

ke kaahawe


Orange Bug wrote:

One of the reasons for Freedom of Speech includes the belief that the
individual has the intellect to make one's own judgement about the value
of their own speech as well as the speech they witness. It is not always
pleasant to be placed in a position to practice judgement, but I would
prefer not to be protected by a censor.

Thank you for providing us the opportunity to evaluate your judgement
and speech.

Bill...

--- McDermott <mcdermot@verizon.net> wrote:
> ...  Well, I don't agree that no one has an
> unacceptable position.  When you think that you can say anything you
> want, you will inevitable end up saying something unacceptable.  I.E.
> the reading of that dam poem.  There are some things in this world
> that should be regarded as unacceptable.  For when you believe that
> all things are acceptable, it really means that you have no values and
> cannot tell right from wrong. This is why she is willing to consider
> all
> positions as acceptable. This is why poems like that get read in the
> first place.

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