Thread: Free speech for... everyone?

This topic presents a very interesting question. It is a sort of discrimination that has developed in perceived attempts at resolving past acts of discrimination. I know that this sounds a bit odd. But there really are legal responses to certain types of discrimination that allow for full blown discrimination in the opposite direction, to correct historical instances of discrimination. To be honest, this is one of the most asinine aspects of the law to me. It occurs in most western nations, but I can speak to the specifics of the American Judicial System. Here, whenever these groups wish to bring forth a sort of discrimination issue even when dealing with matters of free speech and equal representation, the first legal avenue they turn to is the Equal Protection Clause found in the Fourteenth Amendment. That little part of the Constitution is supposed to prevent discriminatory application of the law. Yet, in cases of racial discrimination, discrimination against religion, and gender discrimination, they openly allowed a second type of discrimination, what is colloquially referred to as affirmative action to occur. The actual legal term for it is cringe worthyDe Jure Discrimination. Its literal meaning is discrimination or segregation of groups by a legal action. However, in certain cases of egregious past discrimination, the Supreme Court has allowed for certain amounts of De Jure discrimination to rectify the past instances thereof. Of course, this begs the question of how using new forms of opposite discrimination can rectify past forms of discrimination. I suppose it's possible, and I'm sure these programs have helped some. I just wish there was another, more positive way to achieve this. So, what I think has happened, is that groups which suffered past forms of discrimination, such as the feminist groups you point to in this fine question, feel flushed with a sense of power. Whether or not the Supreme Court opinions in the past stand now, these groups remember that the trend of those in power stands in favor with their position. Also, like any other politicized organization, irrespective of political position or standing, they wish to maintain their power, and seek to demonize groups holding opposite views of their own. The tragic thing is, some of these masculist groups, as many Mens' rights groups refer to themselves as, bring up some very startling, and realistic concerns. Such as the workplace death statistic you mentioned. Another good example is violence against men, or unfair treatment in custodyadoptionchild support cases. I believe some of these issues will come to be addressed in time, as the pendulum swings in the other direction. It seems to be the flow of political movements, the pendulum constantly swings, and at one point, it swings too far in one direction at another, it swings too far in the opposite direction in an attempt to correct itself. So, a lot of what you're seeing, in the case of both the feminist groups mentioned, and the Islamic fundamentalist groups, relates to the position of the proverbial pendulum. Now, in regards to the Islamic groups, some of the dichotomy of treatment seems to stem from a more bizarre place, bordering on pure hypocrisy on the part of some of the human-rights groups involved. It seems that these human-rights, or even self-proclaimed open minded groups, as you mentioned, have a unique ability to ignore some of the atrocious conditions that these extreme Islamic organizations or individuals call for. The term political correctness comes to mind here, but I find it far too charged to be of any use in trying to uproot this problem. Again, I think it has more to do with the fact that western societyfor lack of a better termhas found herself in a bit of an identity crisis with the end of the Cold War. During that time, many of the Middle Eastern nations were supported by the Soviet Union. Consequently, in that extremely two-dimensional era, with two supposedly diametrically opposed super-powers, many in the west came to regard the people from those regions in general as somewhat less than civil. And I mean through a mental caricature, more so than some of the acts perpetrated by the members of that group. Couple with this some of the ill feelings left over from the Second World War, and the attempts to carve up the Middle East by Western Powers at the time of peace, and some mutual hatreds did develop. However, unlike the West, the Middle East never seemed to have the sort of Counter Cultural revolution that swept over Canada, The United States, Britain, etc. Rather, you have a group whose leaders doubled down on oppression, who view any signs of relent as a form of weakness, spot an opportunity to expand their power and run with it. The west continues to reel in horror at some of the things it has done in the past, and in an attempt to redress some of these past wrongs both real and perceived, they are willing to go so far as to ignore some of the brutal things these groups are calling for. Does this make it any more right? I don't think so. I fear that in attempting to rectify the problems of the past, we have gone too far in the other direction, thereby creating newer problems. The situation in itself creates a vicious cycle which continually refuels itself, and builds tension until something will explode. I think one way we can put it, when it comes to offending any one in the modern era, we've become a bit stagnant, like the Victorians were about sex. I mean, you see signs of a desire to speak our minds freely, without these interventions, all over the Internet, and even in avatars on this forum. I think what we are witnessing here, is a counter revolution to the results of the former counter revolution. It's different, to be sure, but it exists because of the problems you brought to light in this question. I'm sure I have missed some other causes behind it, and I hope I have not compacted it too much into a two-dimensional argument, but I do believe that this may be part of the root cause of the phenomenon your brought up here.