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pseudo-manitou — distance between
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Published: 2011-02-20 00:31:45 +0000 UTC; Views: 1177; Favourites: 18; Downloads: 72
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Description
Most Americans know of the concept of 'freedom of speech' (how many actually understand it?- who can say).But it seems that, not until after Citizens United v Federal Election Commission, 130 S.Ct. 876 (2010), did people understand that their right to freedom of speech is insignificant next to the equality of speech denied to them by the inequality of income in America. (Irony: the Citizens United group seems to have ACTUAL citizens united against the group.)
So now we're left with a new confrontation -- one that we haven't adequately considered long enough to even know what to fight for. An overwhelming majority of Americans (including conservatives) support the task of amending the US Constitution to strip corporations of this false citizen rights equivalency. But there are still single US citizens who will have more access to media than the majority will ever have. What, if anything, should be done about this? Is 'freedom of speech' still functional if a small handful have the ability to reach more people than the rest?
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Comments: 14
Deviantart requires mature content for"ideologically sensitive material"? oh come on!
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-I- put it up as "ideologically sensitive material" simply because I do not want to get involved in a political discussion with a child.
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I don't fault you for putting it in that category, to be clear. I'm just a bit annoyed that that category needs to exist. but I can see how it can be useful to protect your own sanity by filtering out some of the people who'd rather claim offense than having a discussion, if nothing else.
The internet almost became a good forum for free speech, but that's going the way of the rest of the media it seems. I can't help but detect a bit of a red queen situation, a new media is discovered, it's used as a way to get things out that'd otherwise be blocked, only to get tackled by the same old rogues gallery.
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When you start trying to limit someone else you don't realize that down the road the same control will start infringing your own rights.
Some people use their freedom of speech to say hurtful things, but that is ok, because I can use my freedom of speech to disagree with them, and possibly expand our perspective. Being able to argue has a way of venting steam so that hostilities don't get internalized until they burst into violence.
Understanding of freedom of speech depends on a serious appraisal of the reasoning capacity of the human mind. One great insight can spread like wild fire. If you speak the truth it will have more influence than a billion dollars worth of garbage, and more power than an armies worth of force.
How would you calculate the amount of money someone could make before they were censored?
Why would anyone create jobs for other people if they were volunteering to be gagged for being successful at it?
I agree eliminating corporate corruption is a cause worth fighting for, but it cant be done through censorship.
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But we're not talking about censorship -- we're talking about putting everyone on equal ground for exercising free speech.
If corporations want to do massive media campaigns, then the same should be allowed of the people and causes the corporations are targeting. In this sense, it may seem more reasonable to limit (IOWs, censor) what access to free-speech media is made available, but at no point should it have to be limited otherwise.
But overall -- take into account that we are not talking about the free-speech of single individuals -- we're talking about corporations, which are far from anything close to single individuals. If David H. Koch wants to give a speech, fine. If David H. Koch wants to hide responsibility behind his corporation to deliver a message through hundreds of commercials... not fine. A corporation is an entity that is devoid of responsibility -- this is why they exist (to protect investors), and they really shouldn't exist this way. The fact that our nation allows corporations without accountability or sane-reasoning to be given the same rights as US citizens -- that's killing America.
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I like the style of this. The text, however, would have been a bit more grounded into the picture had it shared a consistent perspective with the landscape.
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I can't say anything eloquent, so I'll just thank you for thinking about these things and spreading your ideas.
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Coincidentally, for the past month it became apparent to me that free speech is not as straight forward an issue I always thought it was. When I began to decide on what kind of art I was going to focus on doing genre-wise and medium-wise, and started to look into ways of marketing the work, I realized how freedom of speech and censorship can really work.
Just because you technically can speak your mind, in art or otherwise, doesn't mean there aren't de facto methods of censorship that can be used by private companies, powerful entities, and the public to ultimately stop you from exorcising that right.
Though an author may have the right to write whatever they want, their publisher can undersell their work and purposely run a small print for the book so that the book fails in the market. Artists may certainly have the right to make what art they like, but the websites have the right to pull the work down if they deem it obscene, and online banks have the right to not work with artists they think makes offensive works.
Although that doesn't mean there aren't ways around this for individuals, and it probably isn't as complicated an issue like the one your talking about specifically-- but I feel the question is pretty much the same. Speaking your mind is one thing, but that doesn't mean you have the right to the means to express that speech- which effectively makes those who have the power to give you those methods, the ability to hold your freedom hostage.
Personally, I have resolved to find a way to use the system to find my own way of carving out my place in the market. I don't think it will be easy, but I do hold value in a company's right to use its money and conduct business as it wants to. Do I feel the same if it effects politics.....not sure. Still learning...there's a lot to learn.
Sorry if I seem at all off topic on this. Its late and Im exhausted, but this issue has piqued my interest. I'll be sure to look into the case you mentioned more later today.
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That's actually exactly on topic. Thank you for sharing it.
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No problem. If anything I'm a little disappointed there aren't more people commenting or being concerned about this issue, because it effects us everyday.
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In other words, what's more important; the freedom to speak your mind? Or the clout/exposure to make your speech heard?
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More like... freedom of speech is one thing, but what is that freedom worth if a single entity or individual can overshadow a majority of free-speaking individuals?
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yeah, that's what i was trying to say.
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