One of the beautiful things about our country that we often take for granted is our freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is not absolute, but most types of speech are protected by the Constitution. Speech that is political in nature is especially protected. Even beyond “protection” by the Constitution, political and religious speech in our country is by most people respected to the point that a regular discourse does not incite a riot, murder, or terrorism.
I bring up freedom of speech because of a recent article published by the AP, Some Lebanese eye ban on political talk, By ZEINA KARAM, Associated Press Writer. The article discusses how shop owners and other public businesses are placing signs in their windows asking people not to discuss politics or religion inside. In America today, the very act of placing that sign would probably be upheld by our courts as infringing on your right to speech. The idea of banning speech has gained momentum because of “street violence” erupting from political and religious speech. Well, I guess street violence is just one of those annoying little habits the Lebanese are going to have to break, sort of reminds me of the smoking bans in the Fox Valley.
Here’s where I really take issue. The whole thing seems patently idiotic because tolerance is not taught through bans on speech, tolerance happens when dialog takes place. Some professor in the article (I won’t mention his name) thinks the signs are a good way to “avoid emotional reactions.” I feel like the people giving advice in this situation are playing the “let’s not talk about it” white Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) card. The WASP card is not going to work. If these people start to suppress their feelings they are only going to blow up like a failed marriage or student groups in the 1960’s. What they really need to learn as a society is tolerance.
What is tolerance? Tolerance is shutting up your damn mouth when some crazy guy sitting next to you in a coffee shop is venting about so and so political leader. Tolerance is staying home and spending time with your family versus shooting your neighbor between bakeries and delicatessens. I can’t even imagine the audacity of some crazy dude interrupting my breakfast because he has a problem with the world, let alone a whole fricken town of them. Listen Lebanon, if you want to make your country better, do something productive like offer government subsidies for people to go to school for psychotherapy and for people who need treatment. I’m guessing your country needs a whole troop of shrinks.
The point is simple. Treat others as you would like to be treated. The “golden rule” is equally subscribed to by most all major religions in one way or another. It is positively screwed up to bomb your neighbor. I hope Lebanon enjoys me exercising my Freedom of Speech, mostly because I don’t ever plan to do anything more than write about it on my blog.
Peace be with you,
LastManOut
You can read this article for a limited time at:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070206/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_no_politics_please
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