Political Correctness is the death of Freedom Of Speech

[hateraid]

When people say: " I respect everybody's opinions"

They're really saying: "I respect peoples opinions...as long as they're the same as mine"

Face it, there is no such thing as freedom of speech. Controversial topics like gun control, gay marriages, pit bulls, Monsanto.......all pretty much all one sided and when you're on the wrong side you're labelled discriminant or ignorant.
It's one thing to be ignorant, it's another to have an educated opinion

[kentatm]

you seem to not understated what freedom of speech means.

its not the freedom to say whatever you want without any repercussions.

its simply the freedom to say things w/o the gov't arresting your ass. (and even then there are certain limits)

[ForeverHeat]

When people say: " I respect everybody's opinions"

They're really saying: "I respect peoples opinions...as long as they're the same as mine"

Face it, there is no such thing as freedom of speech. Controversial topics like gun control, gay marriages, pit bulls, Monsanto.......all pretty much all one sided and when you're on the wrong side you're labelled discriminant or ignorant.
It's one thing to be ignorant, it's another to have an educated opinion

Gay people say they want to make people understand that they should tolerate differences, but they cant tolerate someones difference of opinion on their behaviour.

[hateraid]

you seem to not understated what freedom of speech means.

its not the freedom to say whatever you want without any repercussions.

its simply the freedom to say things w/o the gov't arresting your ass. (and even then there are certain limits)

I was speaking more figuratively. The point I was making was more people getting chastised for having a difference of opinion

[kentatm]

I was speaking more figuratively. The point I was making was more people getting chastised for having a difference of opinion

too bad so sad

the people chastising are also exercising their freedom of speech.

again, freedom of speech doesn't mean you get to say whatever the hell you want w/o worrying about what others might say or think.

[~primetime~]

but seriously, what has Magic Johnson ever done?




he has AIDS

[MavsSuperFan]

When people say: " I respect everybody's opinions"

They're really saying: "I respect peoples opinions...as long as they're the same as mine"

Face it, there is no such thing as freedom of speech. Controversial topics like gun control, gay marriages, pit bulls, Monsanto.......all pretty much all one sided and when you're on the wrong side you're labelled discriminant or ignorant.
It's one thing to be ignorant, it's another to have an educated opinion
Thats not an infringement of your freedom of speech.

If you said I dont want guns in public or gay marriage is sinful and should always be kept illegal, and were arrested that would be an infringement of your freedom of speech.

No one in america is being arrested for bigotry, or any other opinions.


What you original post indicates you have a problem with is others reaction and their opinions on your freedom speech/expression of opinion.

You are allowed to in america to state your opinion on anything. (you will never be thrown in jail for this). Other people have the right to disagree with you and boycott/criticise you for your opinions. (thats their freedom of speech)

Eg. a science teacher has the right to join the flat earth society. Schools have the right to deny him employment for his views.

[MavsSuperFan]

When people say: " I respect everybody's opinions"

They're really saying: "I respect peoples opinions...as long as they're the same as mine"

Face it, there is no such thing as freedom of speech. Controversial topics like gun control, gay marriages, pit bulls, Monsanto.......all pretty much all one sided and when you're on the wrong side you're labelled discriminant or ignorant.
It's one thing to be ignorant, it's another to have an educated opinion
3 examples from my life:

1. I am an atheist: I have worked the majority of my life in texas. I keep this fact to myself, because I know it would negatively affect my life. Eg. career, etc.

I even went to stuff like my bosses church when he invited me.

2. I support a woman's right to choose, I keep that to myself other than in like minded company and online.

3. In my perfect world men would have the right to decide if the want to sever the ties to a child through an adoption like procedure. I keep this to myself in real life.

Now of this means I dont have freedom of speech. I have the right to argue any of these points and will never go to jail for it. I just realize that some of my opinions will result in other people looking down upon me and negatively affect me. Which is their right to freedom of expression.

[MavsSuperFan]

I was speaking more figuratively. The point I was making was more people getting chastised for having a difference of opinion
people have always been chastised for holding a different opinion from the majority.

Eg. at one time suggesting whites were not superior to other races would have at best, gotten you ridiculed.

[~primetime~]

just about all major companies have a no sex/religion/politics policy...that isn't a Texas thing

you just don't discuss those things at the work place unless it is in private

[MavsSuperFan]

just about all major companies have a no sex/religion/politics policy...that isn't a Texas thing

you just don't discuss those things at the work place unless it is in private
True, but the conservative nature of texas plays a role.

I have been for the last year + on a secondment work term in my company's Vancouver office. (I wanted a chance to get experience with IFRS)

the people here are a lot more liberal.

Eg. I dont feel the need to pretend to be a christian here.

Obviously I am not stupid enough to express my views on male parental rights vs. female parental rights in public. Even here on ISH (99.99% male) most ppl disagree with me. I have even been called a sociopath in debates on that topic.

[~primetime~]

True, but the conservative nature of texas plays a role.

I have been for the last year + on a secondment work term in my company's Vancouver office. (I wanted a chance to get experience with IFRS)

the people here are a lot more liberal.

Eg. I dont feel the need to pretend to be a christian here.

Obviously I am not stupid enough to express my views on male parental rights vs. female parental rights in public. Even here on ISH (99.99% male) most ppl disagree with me. I have even been called a sociopath in debates on that topic.
I've lived in Texas my whole life and never felt the need to pretend I am Christian...although Dallas is "blue"

I really can't imagine having to do that anywhere though...:/...I guess if your boss is some hard core church goer and you want to play the part to get ahead...I still don't think I personally would do that though

[Kblaze8855]

Yea this is a whole other issue. Freedom of speech is not being allowed to say things those in power dont like. This is...being considered an idiot for an unpopular opinion. Which id call fine.

[kentatm]

I've lived in Texas my whole life and never felt the need to pretend I am Christian...although Dallas is "blue"

I really can't imagine having to do that anywhere though...:/...I guess if your boss is some hard core church goer and you want to play the part to get ahead...I still don't think I personally would do that though

Ehh, there are pockets of people in Dallas that I have run into that bristle at the notion you might be something other than their version of Jesus.

I find it far more in smaller cities and towns though.

In Tyler I was told multiple times by different people I was not a real Christian b/c I'm Catholic and often felt looked down on b/c of it. Tyler is heavily Baptist and is essentially run by Green Acres Baptist Church so what they preach tends to rule the prevailing attitudes there. I can't imagine how shitty it would be to look like you might be Arab, let alone a practicing Muslim, there. Hell, Tyler is where I learned that if a person says "Bless your heart" at the start of a sentence they are kind of insulting you b/c that was the general reaction I'd get from parents when they'd ask why I wasn't at a lock in or some shit.

I also got the you're not a Christian thing in College Station. That one was super funny to me b/c the guy was lamenting how hard it was to be a Christian vs a Catholic b/c of all the rules they have that we don't. I was like WTF? :biggums: The dude was basically saying he wished he could be sinful Catholic like me. :rolleyes: :oldlol: Never mind that he and his Jesus loving buddies were hard drinking, red neck, shit kicking, womanizers. :hammerhead:

[~primetime~]

Hell, Tyler is where I learned that if a person says "Bless your heart" at the start of a sentence they are kind of insulting you b/c that was the general reaction I'd get from parents when they'd ask why I wasn't at a lock in or some shit.

what the...:/

I was never part of any "church scene"...no church camp, no church lock in, no church anything. Neither were any of my friends for the most part. I just don't consider Dallas to be "churchy" at all really.

I do have some in-laws that are devote Christians, and I even have a one that is a minister, but they all know I am not Christian and they have no issues with it at all, they have never once even attempted to drag me in church.

[resin_baller]

The only place where this is really a big problem is in schools. You don't have to just toe the line and avoid saying anything judged offensive, you have to actively participate in it, declare your fealty in essays and discussions. In many states/colleges you are required to take a special class that is little more than PC indoctrination, and disagreement will result in failure, possibly expulsion. And college is practically a requirement for self-sufficiency today. Just about the only other options are military colleges, or a small number of Christian colleges, which are almost the same thing, only with Christian ideology in place of PC. I'm not sure if people who haven't gone to college in the past 20 years realize just how bad it's gotten.

Outside of colleges, though, with a few exceptions, PC/Social Justice Warriors haven't become nearly as big of a problem. They have very little legal bite outside of a few areas. Some tumblr/twitter SJWs try to start shit, but they rarely get anywhere if their target is just some guy who said something. Things might be changing, they might not. We'll see.

[nathanjizzle]

you have the freedom of speech, not the freedom to not be judged. negros like OP is what piss me off trying to twist things up to make it sound like something else

[KevinNYC]

You could be jailed for burning the flag.

Nowadays the left practically mandates those activities,
didn't you retire?

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20130615/NJNEWS/306150040/Daughters-American-Revolution-conduct-flag-rite?odyssey=topicpage

[KevinNYC]

In many states/colleges you are required to take a special class that is little more than PC indoctrination, and disagreement will result in failure, possibly expulsion.

and what class is this?

[MadeFromDust]

Political Correctness is just exponential high school peer pressure. Just don't play the game and you diminish its power

[Derka]

Thanks for putting words in my mouth and then bitching about freedom of speech.

Dick.

[Patrick Chewing]

**** the PC police

[sick_brah07]

Gay people say they want to make people understand that they should tolerate differences, but they cant tolerate someones difference of opinion on their behaviour.


came in here to post this

[nathanjizzle]

Gay people say they want to make people understand that they should tolerate differences, but they cant tolerate someones difference of opinion on their behaviour.

theirs a big difference from both sides that you are trying to put on the same level. gay people arnt out on corners holding signs that say "homophobes are the devil" they are the ones having slander thrown at them for their sexuality. they arnt the ones out harassing anti homo people. they are on the defense not offense, so they are "tolerant", if they werent, they would be out trying to shame anti gay people. when someone that is against homos voices their opinion in a hurtful and unappropriate manner, then it just makes sense for gay people to oppose that person as self defense, doesnt make it "intolerence" on the gay side. i am sure the majority of gay people dont care that their are anti homo people out there, they just want to mind their own business, but they do care if these people are directly effecting them by being hurtful. what you are trying to explain is like if a racist person were to say slurs to a negro and the negro getting mad, that the negro is now "intolerent" of racist people.

what ever happened to minding your own ****ing business and leaving people alone? is it that ****ing hard not to be an asshole? majority of humans are idiots.

[sick_brah07]

theirs a big difference from both sides that you are trying to put on the same level. gay people arnt out on corners holding signs that say "homophobes are the devil" they are the ones having slander thrown at them for their sexuality. they arnt the ones out harassing anti homo people. they are on the defense not offense, so they are "tolerant", if they werent, they would be out trying to shame anti gay people. when someone that is against homos voices their opinion in a hurtful and unappropriate manner, then it just makes sense for gay people to oppose that person as self defense, doesnt make it "intolerence" on the gay side. i am sure the majority of gay people dont care that their are anti homo people out there, they just want to mind their own business, but they do care if these people are directly effecting them by being hurtful. what you are trying to explain is like if a racist person were to say slurs to a negro and the negro getting mad, that the negro is now "intolerent" of racist people.

what ever happened to minding your own ****ing business and leaving people alone? is it that ****ing hard not to be an asshole? majority of humans are idiots.

i semi agree with you but i think you may be taking what he has said out of context

I personally do not mind gay people, but i do not agree with it either. It just feels wrong to me. I am not a religious nut nor do I attack anyone for being gay.

But the topic is about political correctness, If somebody asks me my opinion I will tell them what I believe (they asked me my opinion?) but reality is most of the time people will look at me in a bad way like I hate gay people or something when in reality I don't because they do not affect me in any way. I just don't believe its right and i personally believe a lot of gay men put it on initial for attention (but that is another topic)

Overall i do not hate gay people and i do not really care but i am aloud to have an opinion but unfortunately political correctness forces people to have a problem with it even though deep down inside they dont like it themselves (ask them what they would feel if there kid was gay, most would say i dont mind but id prefer straight.... meaning they do care but are scared to say so)

[Patrick Chewing]

^^^ In simpler terms, we are labeled bigots because we do not agree with homosexuality or gay marriage. This couldn't be further from the truth. We who disagree with homosexuality can appreciate the person for who they are. They can be our best friends, relatives, co-workers, you name it. There is no hate involved, just a difference of opinion on something.

The problem is, the PC police can't distinguish the two. Let's face it, victimization sells big time in this country. Every thing you hear on TV nowadays is "racist this" and "racist that". It's a bunch of bullshit. The gay thing is the same. The PC police are turning into the THOUGHT police.

If we head down that road, it only spells doom. Some of you should watch the movie Equilibrium.

[Rasheed1]

Shut the f*ck up whining about political correctness…


Don't be a douche bag in public and you won't get your unpopular opinions challenged..

Words mean a lot.. It is how we communicate… I can make people love me with the words I say.. I can also make people want to kill me with the words i say..

"Sticks and stones" is a BS idea that downplays the value of words and symbols..

That is what this is really about.. Some people want to say whatever they feel like saying and then they catch feelings when society comes back at them for their outdated point of view.. They don't like being criticized, so they whine about other people having the right rebut their ignorance

This isn't a freedom of speech issue.. This is an issue for people who like to dish it out, but get hurt feelings when the response comes in..

To me political correctness is simply having some common decency and respect for other people..

its not too difficult to be respectful of other groups of people. if you wanna be a jerk off, then society will respond to you like the jerk off that you are…

sometimes the media can go over board with the sensitivity, but overall it isn't a big deal and you won't have any trouble if treat people with respect..

[kentatm]

^^^ In simpler terms, we are labeled bigots because we do not agree with homosexuality or gay marriage. This couldn't

If you are in favor of banning gay marriage than you are indeed a bigot.

Its total bullshit to hide behind "traditional marriage" as an excuse to keep it banned when you look at the actual history of the institution.

Nobody forces you to go to their weddings. If you don't like it, don't go to the wedding, don't go to a church that will perform them, and shut the **** up and leave the people alone.

I don't even care if you are opposed b/c of your religion. You know who else would say "I'm not a bigot, its my religion"? The same assholes who kept interracial marriage illegal for years b/c they believed the bible was against it.

[Patrick Chewing]

If you are in favor of banning gay marriage than you are indeed a bigot.

Its total bullshit to hide behind "traditional marriage" as an excuse to keep it banned when you look at the actual history of the institution.

Nobody forces you to go to their weddings. If you don't like it, don't go to the wedding, don't go to a church that will perform them, and shut the **** up and leave the people alone.


The history of the institution has been between a man and a woman. Nevertheless, you've proved my point about victimization. Gay marriage is here and it's here to stay. The problem I have is the topic of this discussion. If I disagree with it, I'm labeled a bigot plain and simple. The majority of Americans are not bigots and don't harvest any of this make-believe hate the media drivels up. The majority of Americans just don't believe in gay marriage. If people have a hard time deciphering between the two, then they are idiots.

[kentatm]

The history of the institution has been between a man and a woman.

actually there is plenty of evidence to the contrary.

never mind that by you waving your magic wand of man/woman only you completely ignore the point.

"traditional marriage" itself is a straight up bullshit term.

I mean what is traditional marriage really? What happened to the part where women are subservient chattel who had little to no say in the matter? Gotta dump the whole love aspect we cherish now b/c that had pretty much nothing to do with marriage back in the day. Shit man, why are we only allowed to have one wife now? Back in JC's day a dude could have as many as he wanted. Why is that no longer traditional?



Nevertheless, you've proved my point about victimization. Gay marriage is here and it's here to stay. The problem I have is the topic of this discussion. If I disagree with it, I'm labeled a bigot plain and simple. The majority of Americans are not bigots and don't harvest any of this make-believe hate the media drivels up. The majority of Americans just don't believe in gay marriage. If people have a hard time deciphering between the two, then they are idiots.


No, I didnt prove your point. :oldlol:

I said if you don't like gay marriage don't associate with it. Don't go to a gay wedding. Don't go to a church that is fine with marrying gays. Don't get involved.

I did say if you are for a law that bans gay marriage you are a bigot. Gay people getting married literately does nothing to affect your life. They are consenting adults who simply happen to not subscribe to YOUR version of religion.

[KeylessEntry]

actually there is plenty of evidence to the contrary.

never mind that by you waving your magic wand of man/woman only you completely ignore the point.

"traditional marriage" itself is a straight up bullshit term.

I mean what is traditional marriage really? What happened to the part where women are subservient chattel who had little to no say in the matter? Gotta dump the whole love aspect we cherish now b/c that had pretty much nothing to do with marriage back in the day. Shit man, why are we only allowed to have one wife now? Back in JC's day a dude could have as many as he wanted. Why is that no longer traditional?


.


No, I didnt prove your point. :oldlol:

I said if you don't like gay marriage don't associate with it. Don't go to a gay wedding. Don't go to a church that is fine with marrying gays. Don't get involved.

I did say if you are for a law that bans gay marriage you are a bigot. Gay people getting married literately does nothing to affect your life. They are consenting adults who simply happen to not subscribe to YOUR version of religion.

funny how these bible thumper types who are concerned about homos besmirching the tradition of marriage never complain about the fact that half of man/woman marriages end in divorce.

[MavsSuperFan]

The history of the institution has been between a man and a woman. Nevertheless, you've proved my point about victimization. Gay marriage is here and it's here to stay. The problem I have is the topic of this discussion. If I disagree with it, I'm labeled a bigot plain and simple. The majority of Americans are not bigots and don't harvest any of this make-believe hate the media drivels up. The majority of Americans just don't believe in gay marriage. If people have a hard time deciphering between the two, then they are idiots.
Well that is a form of bigotry. You are homophobic.


]The majority of Americans are not bigots and don't harvest any of this make-believe hate the media drivels up.
For the vast majority of american history, (basically anything before 1970) the majority of this country was incredibly bigoted, on the issue of race. I dont even understand the counter argument.

currently older people born before 1970 ish dislike gay marriage. As you get younger, approval tends to rise.


The majority of Americans just don't believe in gay marriage.

Are you a time traveler from 2004?


Public opinion polls in the United States since 2010 show majority support for legal recognition of same-sex marriage. Majority public support for same-sex marriage has solidified, as polls since 2010 consistently indicate support above 50%.[1] Support has increased steadily for more than a decade, with supporters first achieving a majority in 2010.[2][3][4][5] An August 2010 CNN poll became the first national poll to show majority support for same-sex marriage,[6] with nearly all subsequent polls showing majority support.[7][8][9][10]

if you look at demographic trends, (specifically this issue among people born after 1990) gay marriage is almost a certainty.

[Jailblazers7]

I would love to hear what someone from an oppressed country would think of the concept of political correctness as it applies to the US. They'd prob laugh in your face if you said it was infringing on freedom of speech.

[Sarcastic]

you seem to not understated what freedom of speech means.

its not the freedom to say whatever you want without any repercussions.

its simply the freedom to say things w/o the gov't arresting your ass. (and even then there are certain limits)

This should have ended the thread. Free speech has nothing to do with political correctness at all. The Constitution only protects you from the government. It doesn't protect you from your fellow citizens.

[MadeFromDust]

If you are in favor of banning gay marriage than you are indeed a bigot.

Its total bullshit to hide behind "traditional marriage" as an excuse to keep it banned when you look at the actual history of the institution.

Nobody forces you to go to their weddings. If you don't like it, don't go to the wedding, don't go to a church that will perform them, and shut the **** up and leave the people alone.

I don't even care if you are opposed b/c of your religion. You know who else would say "I'm not a bigot, its my religion"? The same assholes who kept interracial marriage illegal for years b/c they believed the bible was against it.

God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve you disgusting sexual pervert. :rolleyes:

[MavsSuperFan]

God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve you disgusting sexual pervert. :rolleyes:
Humans evolved from an ape like creature.

[MadeFromDust]

[QUOTE=Rasheed1]Shut the f*ck up whining about political correctness

[MadeFromDust]

Humans evolved from an ape like creature.
No such thing as evolution and nothing in the way of proof says otherwise :rolleyes:

[KevinNYC]

I would love to hear what someone from an oppressed country would think of the concept of political correctness as it applies to the US. They'd prob laugh in your face if you said it was infringing on freedom of speech.

I wonder how many people here realize that the term "politically correct" started as a joke among folks on the left.

[Patrick Chewing]

actually there is plenty of evidence to the contrary.




Show me where gay dudes were getting married in the Middle Ages.

[Jailblazers7]

Show me where gay dudes were getting married in the Middle Ages.

Yeah man, I really wish our political and social institutions were more like the Middle Ages.

[MavsSuperFan]

No such thing as evolution and nothing in the way of proof says otherwise :rolleyes:
There is actually plenty of evidence to support evolution.
The most compelling of which is the mutation/change in dna over a set timespan. I am no expert, but if i remember correctly you can take 2 species from the same evolutionary tree and study their dna to see how long ago they evolved from their mutual ancestor

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/activities/images/3416_id_02_chart.gif

There is however no evidence to support the creation story of genesis.

[Patrick Chewing]

Yeah man, I really wish our political and social institutions were more like the Middle Ages.

There are still countries today, who are civilized with similar democracies that do not acknowledge gay marriage. Explain that.

I'll answer it for you. The United States has been overrun with Liberal Progressives who couldn't give two shits about how the country was founded. All they want is this utopian dream world where we all think and act alike.

But fine, gay marriage is here. Where do you draw the line? If I can marry my gay partner, then can I marry two gay partners? Can I marry my goat? Can I marry young children? If the young child consents, why are you infringing on our love for one another??

[CeilingFan#1]

you seem to not understated what freedom of speech means.

its not the freedom to say whatever you want without any repercussions.

its simply the freedom to say things w/o the gov't arresting your ass. (and even then there are certain limits)

This. How do people repeatedly get this wrong?

[MadeFromDust]

There is actually plenty of evidence to support evolution.
The most compelling of which is the mutation/change in dna over a set timespan. I am no expert, but if i remember correctly you can take 2 species from the same evolutionary tree and study their dna to see how long ago they evolved from their mutual ancestor

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/activities/images/3416_id_02_chart.gif

There is however no evidence to support the creation story of genesis.
All that proves is what I've said all along...evilutionists are good at: 1) making up stories; 2) making of drawings of things with no factual basis :facepalm

[Akrazotile]

There are still countries today, who are civilized with similar democracies that do not acknowledge gay marriage. Explain that.

I'll answer it for you. The United States has been overrun with Liberal Progressives who couldn't give two shits about how the country was founded. All they want is this utopian dream world where we all think and act alike.

But fine, gay marriage is here. Where do you draw the line? If I can marry my gay partner, then can I marry two gay partners? Can I marry my goat? Can I marry young children? If the young child consents, why are you infringing on our love for one another??


I think you can draw a line between marrying another consenting adult and marryingn a child/animal/object, but I do think its a tough sell to say "we allow same sex marriage bc we're tolerant" while continuing to outlaw polygamy. I feel like if youre going to expand marriage past its recent traditional definition you would philosophically have to accept both of those if youre going to accept one of them. Just my take.

[Akrazotile]

This. How do people repeatedly get this wrong?


The wording of OP's post is a little off, because he said "PC is the death of FoS"... when I think what he meant to say is PC is going to be the death of FoS.


Sure, right now people can speak freely while only having to fear backlash from the public and not sanction by the government. But how long will that last? Forever? I wouldn't be so sure.

IMO the government will look for every opportunity to take advantage of public PC sentiment to use suppression of speech for its own purposes while trying to frame it into the context of the PC environment so many support.

[Dresta]

I would love to hear what someone from an oppressed country would think of the concept of political correctness as it applies to the US. They'd prob laugh in your face if you said it was infringing on freedom of speech.
Political correctness does limit speech; i don't think that can be denied.

Remember the Danish cartoon affair, when through claimed sensitivity (though really fear) almost every news broadcaster refused to show the images that were the actual news story, preventing the public themselves from deciding whether they were offensive or not, or whether they warranted the treatment doled out on the Danes. When the report can't report the ****ing news properly there is a problem. Much is happening that would be put into print that we are prevented from seeing by the type of legal firepower commonly acquired by rich people (this problem is particularly bad in UK).

The following book on the subject perspicaciously goes through some of the cases when restriction of speech through the courts has been particularly detrimental:

http://www.amazon.com/You-Cant-Read-This-Book/dp/0007308906

Funnily enough, the edition i bought was pulled because of a threatened expensive libel suit if a few passages weren't removed. Actually, i remember one of the examples was how the chiropractic association tried to ruin this scientist simply for publishing a paper saying their practices weren't effective.

[Jailblazers7]

Political correctness does limit speech; i don't think that can be denied.

Remember the Danish cartoon affair, when through claimed sensitivity (though really fear) almost every news broadcaster refused to show the images that were the actual news story, preventing the public themselves from deciding whether they were offensive or not, or whether they warranted the treatment doled out on the Danes. When the report can't report the ****ing news properly there is a problem. Much is happening that would be put into print that we are prevented from seeing by the type of legal firepower commonly acquired by rich people (this problem is particularly bad in UK).

The following book on the subject perspicaciously goes through some of the cases when restriction of speech through the courts has been particularly detrimental:

http://www.amazon.com/You-Cant-Read-This-Book/dp/0007308906

Funnily enough, the edition i bought was pulled because of a threatened expensive libel suit if a few passages weren't removed. Actually, i remember one of the examples was how the chiropractic association tried to ruin this scientist simply for publishing a paper saying their practices weren't effective.

Oh, I'm not denying that political correctness is something that constrains speech in this country but claiming it as the death of free speech is a bit dramatic. I think the Mark Cuban thing is a pretty perfect example of the negative effect of PC. It is a problem when someone can't be introspective aloud about an significant topic because people will harass him for it. I'd love to see people get less offended about shit like this but it is important to have a little perspective. The stuff you are mention is more subtle and much more important than what most people think when this topic comes up. Most people are more concerned about the right of some dude from Duck Dynasty to rant about gay people than the actual inhibition of information

I think a lot of this stuff just stems from the political animosity in this country right now.