Freedom Of Speech And The N Word
I came across a story this morning that is really bothering me. Apparently, a woman in Nashville was sitting in her car, at a red light, talking on her cell-phone, when a man pulled up alongside her and began screaming through his window. He called her a “nigger” several times for using her phone, and even threatened to strike her. The woman caught most of the incident on her phone’s camera. Below is the link to the news feed and video.
Road rage video: In just 6 seconds, man yells N-word twice, threatens ‘punch the f*ck’ out of woman
After posting the video to her Facebook page, many people sent messages of support to the woman. The consensus of opinion was that the woman’s next step should be to report the stranger to police. It goes on to mention that the interaction occurred at three in the afternoon, next to a school. The woman that took the video finishes her interview by saying that she wants, “his employers to see it, his friends to see it, his church, his family.” Is that man an asshole? Absolutely! In no way is it acceptable to say those things to another human being.
Most of you would agree with me when I call the man an asshole, but we all need to keep in mind that things can get pretty tricky when we start telling people what to say. Words mean a great deal to me. They sit just behind my children on my list of things worth fighting for. All other human rights are possible, so long as we can think and say whatever we want.
I have to be honest; I don’t really care if you have guns, get abortions, don’t believe in god or fear gay marriages. To me, those arguments are all noise, and important because we are allowed to have them at all. It is only the words that concern me, and I will fight to the death for my right to use any words I want, any time I want; without exception.
As a writer, I can’t wait until I am successful enough to have some consistent haters. I will embrace their stupidity with kindness, because I know how important they are. The pieces are being put into place to create actual world-wide, Wi-Fi internet access. I am pretty sure that we are going to need some boundary pushers then. I plan on being one of them.
English writer Beatrice Evelyn Hall’s most famous quote is, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” The quote is often credited to Voltaire, but he never said the line. It was supposed to summarize Voltaire’s thoughts about On The Mind, a book published in 1758 that had been banned and burned, because it questioned the Catholic faith. This quote is at the core of the idea behind freedom of speech, and it may be the most important line said on that matter, or any other.
So, most of us agree that this guy is a racist jerk, but do we really need to get police involved? If we did, shouldn’t both the man and the woman be cited? It is not illegal to talk on your phone while driving in Tennessee yet, but it is illegal to type while driving. If the woman hit the pad on her phone at all, she was breaking the law. Typing while driving and verbal threats are both illegal in Tennessee, but which is more dangerous?
If you are a parent to one of the kids in that nearby school, what would you think held greater danger for your child?
A. Someone talking on their phone while driving near the school at the time of day most likely have school children crossing the street.
B. You kids over-hearing someone using vulgarity and racial slurs in a very threatening manner.
We like to teach our children that sticks and stones can break bones, but words can never hurt them. As our kids get older, we start to give this rule caveats. Oh… wait… don’t say these words, they kind-of hurt. And this word, this word is grounds for having your life ruined. I know this goes against popular opinion, but I do not agree.
It is possible that I have been too heavily influenced by George Carlin; an unwitting soldier in the battle he fought against the fear of words.
Your opinion on race is most definitely influenced by where you live. I live fifteen miles from Ferguson, MO, and speakers from all over the country have come here to talk about racial equality, over the last year. The problem with the current conversation on race is that it is an argument instead of a discussion.
This argument stirs so many emotions because of slavery, and the many sins born from that institution. Slavery has been illegal in America for over one-hundred and fifty years, but unfortunately it is not the only atrocity Americans have committed upon one another. I find it a bit hypocritical when I hear someone bring up slavery, while standing on ground that a Native American likely died protecting, or was forced to walk away from. I am just grateful that I had no part to play in either of those events.
If I judged someone based on the color of their skin, I would be the hypocrite. The Human Genome Project has proved scientifically that every single person that has ever lived is a descendant of the same dark skinned tribe in Central Africa. My great, great, great… X1000… grandmother was a black woman. This fact reminds me of Dennis Hopper’s death speech to Christopher Walken in True Romance.
We all need to get some damn perspective. The discussion on race starts with a discussion on poverty, not skin color. While we are having that discussion, no opinions or words, regardless of how vile and stupid they appear, will be suppressed.
Additionally, I can also promise you this; if you start putting people in jail for the things that they say, you are going to have one hell of a fight on your hands. That is no threat. It is a promise.
Post Script: Tennessee has the highest percentage of cell phone related accidents in the U.S. In 2011, over ten-percent of all crashes were caused by someone using a hand-held device while driving. Not one single person in Tennessee died from an insult in 2011.
