orogenicman
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2010
- Messages
- 734
From a poster on another forum. I thought it was an appropriate response to this issue:
"Here's what I think is the difference. Yelling fire in a crowded theater (assuming there isn't actually a fire, of course) serves no potential social, religious or political purpose. One does not protest a situation or comment on the status quo by yelling fire in a theater.
On the other hand, criticizing existing political, religious and social institutions may be very useful, in fact vital, to a free society. And yet such criticism is likely to annoy or even enrage people committed to those existing institutions. And so the existing institutions would LOVE to ban any criticism of themselves. And for this reason, any speech that can pass as social, political or religious commentary or protest is highly protected. It would be wonderful if there were some authority that could be trusted to make the distinction that THIS religious protest is valuable, whereas THAT religious protest is stupid. But there isn't, and history has taught us to err rather largely on the side of caution."
"Here's what I think is the difference. Yelling fire in a crowded theater (assuming there isn't actually a fire, of course) serves no potential social, religious or political purpose. One does not protest a situation or comment on the status quo by yelling fire in a theater.
On the other hand, criticizing existing political, religious and social institutions may be very useful, in fact vital, to a free society. And yet such criticism is likely to annoy or even enrage people committed to those existing institutions. And so the existing institutions would LOVE to ban any criticism of themselves. And for this reason, any speech that can pass as social, political or religious commentary or protest is highly protected. It would be wonderful if there were some authority that could be trusted to make the distinction that THIS religious protest is valuable, whereas THAT religious protest is stupid. But there isn't, and history has taught us to err rather largely on the side of caution."