[Winona Online Democracy]
Our guaranteed right to free speech is not limited to "serious"
purposes, nor should it be. My right to make a joke is just as
protected as another's right to make an impassioned plea. (Parody, for
instance, seems especially protected.)
While I can appreciate Carrie's purpose in wearing the button, her
rights are not (and our defense of them should not be) based on the
content of her message.
-Spencer Madsen
Dwayne Voegeli wrote:
[Winona Online Democracy]
Terry, you offer a very valid question.
It fast forwards us right into the thick of things.
Free speech, democracy, responsibility, etc. are tricky things with
slippery slopes galore.
Again, not a place for people who want or need simple black and white lines.
Here are some follow up questions to your question:
1. Do you think there is a legitimate and serious reason for a "Respect My
Testicles" button? Beyond a low kind of humor, which is found on many
t-shirts today, is there a deeper purpose or real social problem the
message is trying to make people aware of or help solve? Put another way,
is the button you described simply trying to make people laugh or is it
trying to make people aware of a serious problem? The button that Carrie
is wearing is not a joke.
2. Would you admit there is a difference in how our society treats and
views the male and female bodies? What is considered off limits or
shameful?
3. Do you see any connection between domestic violence and the silence and
shame that have traditionally surrounded the female body and gender roles?
Dwayne Voegeli
April 24, 2005
------
Date: Sat, 23 Apr 2005 11:32:39 -0500
From: Terry Angst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: online democracy <[email protected]>
Subject: [Winona] freedom of speech for males
[Winona Online Democracy]
Given all the ridicule, violence, and pain inflicted on males on the
screen and television, (groin kicks) I would not be surprised if some
Winona High boys decided to wear "Respect My Testicles" buttons. And to
avoid any confusion with parts of an octopus, perhaps a vague sketch in
the background.
My guess is that the freedom of _expression_ and speech that has been
hardily endorsed and defended so far in this thread, would end when it
became a masculine issue.
Terry Angst
------------
Dwayne Voegeli
Winona County Commissioner
(507) 453-9012
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
359 Pleasant Hill Dr.
Winona, MN 55987
------------
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