Fred Dooley, proprietor of the wildly misnamed "Real Debate Wisconsin" is already a top contender for the O. Henry Prize for Irony for 2011.
Dooley, over the weekend, published a post he titled "Why do liberals hate free speech?" His whole premise for this ironic post was a story in which a speech to be given by Bristol Palin (about the importance of sexual abstinence, no doubt) was cancelled because some of the students protested her appearance.
First, what should be obvious to anyone not practicing selective outrage would be that this is an example of free speech at work. The students didn't want their time or tuition money wasted on yet another Palin, and they expressed that feeling successfully and peacefully. In the end, they won their day, and all is good.
Secondly, should Dooley, who makes a habit of deleting comments from those he doesn't like, if not blocking them entirely, should be criticizing anyone for being against free speech, even though his accusations are so ignorant?
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"First, what should be obvious to anyone not practicing selective outrage would be that this is an example of free speech at work."
ReplyDeleteHuh? Shutting down a person from speaking is free speech?
No, letting a person speak and ignoring that person by not attending the speech or protesting outside is free speech.
It's their tuition dollars. They most certainly have the right to say how it is spent, which they did. If the school or Ms. Palin don't want to deal with the students, that is their right, but it is not an infringement of their right to free speech. It is simply them choosing not to exercise it.
ReplyDeleteBristol Palin charges a ridiculous speaking fee. I mean, more power to her if she can get someone to pay that much money, but geez, I'd be mad about it too.
ReplyDeleteFirst, "free speech" does not guarantee anyone a $20k speaking gig.
ReplyDeleteSecond, the even Palin was canceled from was an abstinence event and she was canceled in part because she was not conservative enough for the sponsoring group.
Fred is off his nut on this one.
Umm, Jay, stop the hate. Why you decided to be such a hater is beyond me.
ReplyDeleteSo,when a liberal comes comes to speak on campus, it's ok for the conservatives to act like a bunch of idiots and shut down the liberal's speech? Maybe make some threats or as they do in Milwaukee, rocks and bottles.
Dan, I'll refer you to the Bill Maher kerfuffle of a few years back or the Ward Churchill/Whitewater fiasco a few years before that. Yes, the conservatives routinely act like idiots about speech issues and Dooley is their guidon.
ReplyDeleteI recall Bob Kerry giving a speech at UWM (trying to give a speech) and being drowned out by members of the conservative student newspaper (and other dims). How ironic that members of the press should involve themselves in such theatrics.
ReplyDeleteAnd, thanks Dan.