It’s no secret that I am no fan of censorship in any form. I do not agree with any forms of restriction on speech in any format. Whether it’s censorship in some sort of art form or in actual words. Using the threat of force or law to alter or diminish speech is wrong no matter what the intention.
Many people will say that when the subject becomes objectionable that it becomes difficult to justify my stance on free speech. People will say that some things need to be curtailed or dissuaded for the greater good of society as a whole. Another argument is that pragmatism demands that although ideally we should be allowed to say what we want that reality demands that some sacrifices be made for the greater good.
These are the arguments of those that already have made up their minds and are just casting about for an excuse to justify censorship.
Nowhere is there a greater need to allow free expression than in those things that we deem objectionable. The unpopular opinion, mindset, or idea needs to be present and readily accessible in the public discussion. It may seem a small, insignificant point to exclude those ideas that we don’t like but any disruption to the stream of ideas that are available to the public creates a rift, a chasm that will ripple outwards towards other ideas that you may agree with. Maybe not today or tomorrow but eventually.
If for no other reason these ideas have to be expressible and accessible to future generations at the very least as educational examples of the way that humans can be cruel to each other and may be cruel again in the future. The key to not committing the errors of the past is to study them in the future.
Now as to the Redskins football team in particular, why should they voluntarily change their names? Well, the very property that they seek to protect (the name, the logo, etc) is now damaged beyond repair. It’s now well established that a large number of people find the name objectionable and that they consider it to be something hurtful and downright insulting.
The fan base that treasures the brand is going to age and slowly disappear over time. The younger fan base will not support the brand and as a result they will lose fan support.
The pragmatic argument to change the brand is that it is no longer tenable or desirable to keep. Changing the brand to something else is the smart course of action to maintain the fan base of support and keep the franchise going for the long-term. But whatever they do, they should do it on their own.
Recent Comments