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| Rob's Soapbox | ||
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Congratulations!
You have finally landed on the one page on this entire site (and on the entire internet for that matter) that is purely without bullshit... my soapbox page. There are a lot of times during our show that, whether it's because of time constraints and other obligations, I don't always get to address some issues that I feel don't get the attention they deserve. There are even more times when I just don't feel like waiting until the show the next day to get some things off my chest. Thus, I have started the "Rob's Soapbox" page. If you have clicked on this page looking for someone to coddle your fragile sense of self-esteem, or tell you what you want to hear or to reinforce your outdated world view, then exit this page right now and go somewhere else. If you are in search of the last forum for reason and common sense left in the world, then sit back, relax, and enjoy. I make only one promise with this soapbox page... if you read long enough and often enough, you will eventually be offended. So here's my latest soapbox. Listen up, 'cause you just might learn something... |
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March 8th, 2005
This week's most under-reported story comes straight from Washington D.C. Super-powerful Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens announced that he will be introducing legislation soon to mandate cable TV and satellite radio to fall under the FCC indecency umbrella. Mr. Stevens is a scary powerful man with years of service and the largest state in the union behind him. If he really wants this, he can probably get it. Once he does, that means that Comedy Central, XM radio and every channel in between will fall under the asinine big brother eye of the FCC. Even the things you choose to pay for will now be defined as "indecent," because certain sects of our society choose to be offended. Some day this absurdity will stop, but it doesn't appear as though that day is soon. As a result, I went back to a soap box from one year ago today. It's one of the three greatest I've ever written and it still applies today. I have tweaked it slightly for your entertainment. Read it and learn it. Let's first define what a right is. A right is something that, according to Webster's dictionary, is due to a person by law. In America, that means that you are owed a public school education, the ability to pursue your dreams (with no guarantees of success), independence with no ties to another human being, the opportunity to speak your mind (with no guarantee of anyone listening), and a variety of other things including the ability to own a gun. Your rights in America end when you misuse them to the point of infringing upon someone else's rights. In other words, once you commit a felony (thus infringing on someone's right to pursue life, liberty and happiness by say, raping them) you forfeit your right to own a gun legally. You also forfeit your right to independence by serving jail time, etc. So, given that premise, do you have the right to be offended? Well, by the letter of the law I guess you could say the answer is yes. I mean, after all no one but you can control your emotions. Technically, you have the right to feel however and whatever you want. However, you don't always have the right to act upon your feelings. For example, if a grown man feels attraction to a 7-year-old girl, there's nothing anyone can do about it. Technically, he has that right. If he acts upon that right though, he will be infringing upon her rights and that's not ok. So, do you have the right to be offended? Based on the Bill of rights and the Constitution of America???? The answer is no, you don't. For a variety of reasons. No where in our history has the protection from offensive behavior, writings or material been guaranteed to you. However, our laws and history very clearly guarantee other people the right to say, scribe and do offensive things (we call it the first amendment). When someone reacts to something they find offensive, that person is not, in fact, exercising their first amendment rights, they are in truth trying to suppress the other person's right to free speech. If a Christian stands on the corner preaching the word of Jesus and an offended Atheist walks by and calls the man a liar, it is only the Christian who is within his actual rights. The Atheist is hiding behind the first amendment to somehow proclaim that he has the right to react to his childish feelings of being offended. The fact of the matter is, the only right he has is the one to ignore the Christian and go along his way. It's the right to freedom, liberty and personal choice. The first amendment does not guarantee anyone the right to be heard. You can say whatever you want, but no one has to listen. If I walk through the mall and am handed an offensive PETA pamphlet, I have the free will choice to simply throw it away…ignore it. However, if I choose to become offended by the pamphlet, I have just validated PETA's freedom of speech by allowing them to be heard. I have made the CHOICE to listen; therefore I do not have the right to be offended. Speaking your mind in America is a right. The opportunity to be offended by what is said is a privilege, one that is not granted to people in North Korea, Iran and dozens of other places in the World. If we allow citizens of America to mis-use their privilege to be offended in ways that stop others from speaking, we will add another block of destruction into our decaying social scrap heap.
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