Mal Shot First!

You may have heard this pathetic story already:
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/abandlc/2011/10/04/university-professor-censored-over-firefly-poster/

On September 12, 2011, Professor Miller posted on his office door an image of Nathan Fillion in Joss Whedon’s sci-fi series Firefly and a line from an episode: “You don’t know me, son, so let me explain this to you once: If I ever kill you, you’ll be awake. You’ll be facing me. And you’ll be armed.” On September 16, UWS Chief of Police Lisa A. Walter notified Miller that she had removed the poster because it “refer[s] to killing.” After Miller replied, “respect my first amendment rights,” Walter wrote that “the poster can be interpreted as a threat.” Walter also threatened Miller with criminal charges: “If you choose to repost the article or something similar to it, it will be removed and you could face charges of disorderly conduct.”
In response to Walter’s censorship, Miller placed a new poster on his office door on the 16th. The poster read “Warning: Fascism” and mocked, “Fascism can cause blunt head trauma and/or violent death. Keep fascism away from children and pets.”

Walter escalated the absurdity. On September 20, she wrote that this poster, too, had been censored because it “depicts violence and mentions violence and death” and was expected to “be constituted as a threat.” She added that UWS’s “threat assessment team,” in consultation with the university general counsel’s office, had made the decision. College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Interim Dean Raymond Hayes then scheduled a meeting with Miller about “the concerns raised by the campus threat assessment team.”

The irony for me is wondering whether Joss Whedan flinches to see his work relegated to the wrong side of Political Correctness, or if he smiles.
There is considerable overlap between leftwingery and libertarianism, and certain famous folk (Robert Heinlein springs to mind) not only defy the White Privileged Capitalist Establishment (or whatever), but somehow end up ornery enough to defy the Glorious Big Brother of the People’s Party of Revolutionary Correct Thought.
My humble opinion is that sometimes the Muse pulls a fast one, and the writer ends up glorifying an idea which is in truth worthy of praise, not realizing or not caring that the worldview or cult or party that claims his loyalty would prefer to dispraise it.
Read more