The Right To Be Offended

Winston Churchill: Some people's idea of free speech is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone says anything back, that is an outrage.

It's been said that one of the prices of freedom of speech is that anyone can make a statement worth less than the neuron that powered the thought. Now, BBC News Magazine tackles the debate over "the right to be downright offensive." Perhaps I am being a contrarian, but as John Cleese says, nobody has the right not to be offended. Frankly, many people act as though they could find their own shadows objectionable, and these are usually the same individuals lecturing on inclusiveness. (They are inclusive, of course, depending on how much you think like them or the extent to which they can arrange/exploit your victimhood.)

South Park and Chappelle's Show are my two favorite programs on Comedy Central. They also aim to offend, and frequently hit their marks. I enjoy the challenge. Who can forget Dave Chappelle's portrayal of a blind Ku Klux Klan member unaware that he is black? The satire is sharp. There are 'appropriate' contexts for 'inappropriate' subjects. Excepting speech that is literally dangerous or detrimental to another's freedoms (yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theater being oft cited, or calling for people to maim and murder), there is room for views I regard as wholly inappropriate and loathsome. I counter those views by sharing my views. Surely anyone genuinely concerned about each individual's right to expression knows, at least in principle, that "The antidote for misuse of freedom of speech is more freedom of speech."

Update: Changed my typographical error of "mime and murder" to "maim and murder," though you could argue that it works well either way.