THE O’REILLY FREE SPEECH DEFENSE: A CASE STUDY

ITEM: Wendy Francis, the Queensland Senate candidate for the Family First Party, stands by comments she made then deleted on Twitter that gay marriage is equal to "legalising child abuse".



Which I mention not so much to demonstrate that homophobic batshit politics isn’t limited to the US (because you knew that), but to point out Francis’ gratuitous use of the O’Reilly Free Speech defense in the second tweet above:

Strange that I can be called a bigot for standing up for values that many people believe yet others can deride my beliefs and that’s OK.

In other words, “Yr criticism of what I say and believe is an infringment of my right to say it.”

You don’t need to be captain of the debate team to figure out the weakness of that argument. But it’s an argument I see more and more – particularly on Facebook and Twitter. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen people post some political story link with a provocative editorial comment (“Obama really is similar to Hitler/Stalin/Satan”, for example), then when people on their friends list try to argue the point, they invoke their First Amendment right to say whatever they want without being challenged or called on it.

Except, of course – and I can’t believe this needs pointing out, but I’ll do it anyway – there is NO First Amendment right to speak without being criticized, just as there is no right to avoid being offended by what other people say. Criticism does not take away yr freedom to speak yr mind. It’s like Bruce Springsteen (or someone) putting out a record then claiming that bad reviews are trampling his First Amendment right to write songs.

Okay, I suppose if yr paranoid about Teh Gayz plotting world domination, maybe yr also prone to interpreting criticism as a plot to prevent you from saying what you want. After all, if yr trying to prove someone wrong on an issue, aren’t you REALLY just trying to tell them what to think and get yr own way?

Which is why, for my money, when you deploy the O’Reilly Free Speech Defense, you’ve lost the argument.

DISCLAIMER: To be fair, I can’t say for sure this is Bill O’Reilly’s fault. Indeed, I’m not 100% sure he started that meme. But, you know, close enough.

Anyway, it’s nice to know this is catching on in other countries.

*headdesk*

Who am I to be critical,

This is dF

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EDITED TO ADD [19 AUGUST 2010]: Incidentally, Dr Laura has deployed the O'Reilly Defense to explain why she's quitting her radio show. Evidently people are stomping all over her 1A rights by complaining that she said "nigger" on-air eleven times.

dEFROG ON 45 #3: YOU’D TAKE THE WORLD BUT YOU WON’T TAKE THE TIME

There is some dispute at the Def Citadel as to what was the first 45 I bought with my own money. I know it was 1975 (the year I turned ten, incidentally), and I’ve narrowed it down to three (3) possibilities.

This is one of them: “Jackie Blue” by the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, who were a country-rock outfit, but you’d never know it from this song, which sports an underrated guitar hook and sounds just as heavy now as it did then.

FUN FACT: For years, I assumed it was a girl singing lead vocals. Did I mention I was ten when this song came out?

EXTRA CREDIT: Spot the cannabis reference. (Hint: it’s not in the lyrics.) 

Don’t try to tell me that yr not aware,

This is dF

PROTESTING THE PROTESTERS: YR DOING IT RIGHT

ITEM [via Def Agent lorilori ]: Dancers at the Foxhole in Coschocton County, Ohio protest outside the New Beginnings Ministries church for protesting outside their strip club.

The New Beginnings churchgoers protest via signs and the “name and shame” tactic of videotaping license plates of Foxhole patrons and posting the info online.

The Foxhole dancers protest in bikinis whilst grilling up burgers and cooling each other off with Super Soakers.

The first few weeks, Dunfee piped the sermon outside. But that "agitated" them, he said, and made them dance in the streets.

He said their presence has united his church members and reinvigorated their mission to shut down the club.

"They have now seen the evil firsthand," Dunfee said. "This has just made us stronger."

George laughed at that notion.

"They're just mad," he said, "because their wives won't let them come to my club."

I declare the Foxhole dancers the winner of this debate.

I’m biased, of course. But I had to deduct points from New Beginnings for posting license plates online (which we have discussed before).

Anyway, I approve of this. See my earlier post on criticism being a cornerstone of free speech.

See also: this guy.



[Via various, but most recently padiwack ]

Give as good as you get,

This is dF

TRI-COUNTY MALL, RATED R: UNDER 17 NOT ADMITTED WITHOUT PARENT OR GUARDIAN

Staying with Ohio ...

ITEM: Tri-County Mall in Cincinnati is carding people after 4pm on Fridays and Saturdays to keep out minors trying to cruise the mall on weekends.

It’s part of the creepily named “Youth Escort Policy” that says anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent, guardian or anyone over the age of 21.

"Being youth, and being in large numbers unsupervised, they tend to get loud and rowdy and detract from a comfortable shopping atmosphere,” said General Manager Michael Lyons.

To enforce the rules, there will be extra security at every entrance of the mall.

I confess, the Cranky Old Man in me is kind of sympathetic to the spirit of the thing, if only because we have teenagers running rampant here in Disco Bay hanging out at the 24-hour McDonalds until 3am, and Jesus H Christ On A Biscuit they’re f***ing annoying.

But then we all were at that age, even if we didn't realize it. As were our parents. And grandparents (depending on yr age, since teenagers were only invented in the 1950s). Same old story: Older Generation tells Younger Generation they’re loud and crazy degenerates and Younger Generation laughs in their faces at their quaint rules.

Anyway, I doubt the YEP (and seriously, that’s a terrible name) will be all that effective, depending on how much you look like yr older brother/sister’s driver’s license photo (you know, the one you use to buy Schaefer’s Beer at the Circle K), or the “adult” who brings you. As if 21-year-olds are any better behaved by default.

Or some grown-ups, for that matter.

Shoppers gonna shop,

This is dF