Do you support free speech? I do. Last week several high school girls got suspended for doing a reading, I think it was from the Vagina Monologues, becasue they were told not to say the word “vagina.”
Morse v. Frederick is another First Amendment student free speech case to be argued before the Supreme Court of the United States on March 19, 2007. The case involves Joseph Frederick, an 18-year-old high school senior in Juneau, Alaska, who was suspended for 10 days after displaying a “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” banner across the street from his high school during the Winter Olympics Torch Relay in 2002.
The kid had seen it on a snow board, I think, and just wanted to get his picture taken.
That reminds me of this…
A few weeks ago some students at the U of I decided to display a message from their dorm windows:
A bunch of angry feminists made the U of I make them remove it, though, so instead they put BOB in three of the windows.
One of my friends who was in on it said they were going to use the other side of the building, that had six windows, to spell out VAGINA, but decided against it.
What makes me sad is the fact that the school probably wouldn’t have that big a problem with them playing music that glorifies violence, yet the believe empowering women and saying the name of a body part is wrong.
That is just sad.
I also think that the boob thing is pretty funny and shouldn’t get anyone unhappy. They should do breast instead of vagina on the other wall, that way nobody can argue with it being slang. Either that or jugs or something that isn’t technically saying boob but still has the same idea.
Feminazis only value free speech when it benefits them, just like all the other extreme ends of the spectrum.
That Supreme Court case is disgusting. While it might have been in poor taste, he had the right to do it, unless I’m completely misinterpreting the First Amendment (Gilby, correct me if I’m wrong).
Boob can mean more than one thing other that a woman’s breasts.
Example calling someone a boob. Plus why would they be mad they should be happy they have a power over us men so much so they are willing to put a huge sign up on the side of a building as a shrine…
Yeah to bad woman don’t love our penises that much they have all the power with their breasts!.. Matter a fact I don’t think many even like penises that much at least not as much as men love breast (ok most men)…
It doesnt really mean much and I am not sure if it is true, but I heard men think about sex every 2.5 or some odd seconds and who can we blame? Woman! See feminist should attack woman for taking advantage of use we can’t control the fact that we think with our penises it is just how it is and after all to some feminist we are just stupid men…
Sorry I typed that out wrong, I mean that breast isn’t slang as boob is, I never meant it to mean that vagina was slang but thats certainly how it read.
The vagina case is a little bit different because the students were told not to use that word. It has some of the same issues as the “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” case but not quite the same. The “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” case is a better one for the free speech side to go after.
Kind of fun to have groups on the religious right and the ACLU on the same side of a Supreme Court argument. I like that, especially when involving free speech.
Speech codes and speech restrictions at a public school do not help give you a broad education or allow students to explore issues fully.
Those of us already familiar with Nat Hentoff know which side he would stand on without needing to go to Wikipedia. You ought to read some of his books, essays, or articles. He’s well spoken and worth the read. He writes for the Village Voice and that’s a good place to start for reading up on him.
I find it funny that our resident research librarian is asking us what Nat Hentoff’s view would be without pointing us to a relevant article by Nat Hentoff.
I don’t know if he has written about this case yet. I do hope he does.
He also writes for Jewish publications. Archives of his articles from there are here.
I wish the Village Voice had an actual archive of his articles. Maybe they do, I just can’t find it on their site.
I first read of Nat Hentoff when I read his book “Free Speech For Me But Not For Thee” back in the early 90’s. Since then I’ve followed him in a passing manner. I don’t regularly read The Village Voice, but if I see an editorial by him in a newspaper I’ll read it for sure.
