Don't You Know Who I Am?

Some memories to help and some questions to find out more about you.

Rise up o children wont you dance with me
Rise up little children come and set me free
Rise little ones rise
No shame no fear

Don't you know who I am

Songwriter: Rebecca Laurel Fountain

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I’m sure you know the go with this format. Some memories, some questions, letsss go…

2015

A decade ago, I made the following post about the Charlie Hebdo shootings that had recently taken place, with 12 murdered over the content of a satirical newspaper. My attitude to Free Speech was rather more absolute than it is today…

“Freedom of choice, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, are hard-won freedoms. Some people choose to watch Fox News/Mike Hosking/etc, and some choose Jon Oliver/John Campbell/etc. One group might think the other is insane, but that is fine as they're not thinking you can only watch what we watch and not what you're watching, even though we're offended by it.

The easy solution for people who don't like things like the cartoons in Charlie Hebdo is not to buy them at the newsagent or change the bloody channel. As I see it, the murders in Paris were not about the offence to people who don't read this material but take reprehensible actions, but that they do not want other people to be able to read it. For that reason, I find myself more in agreement with the likes of Bill Maher than Billy Bragg. Freedom of Speech does not come with a qualification.”

Don’t get me wrong; I still believe in free speech and adamantly believe that there can be no justification for murdering someone over something they say or a picture they draw.

It’s just that free speech has gained some unpleasant company in recent years. The most repugnant people use it as a shield to defend themselves and others' right to say the most atrocious things and demand that they can do so without consequences.

But there are consequences, and so there should be. Not execution, obviously; people should be able to say whatever they like without physical harm. But if you go saying a bunch of racist garbage, then there is a pretty good chance that people are going to call you a racist - and they’re right, and simply exercising their own free speech.

Ok, so it is a nice, simple question to start with. The questions will be repeated at the end. Do you believe in Free Speech, no matter what, and has that view changed over time?

2016

Nine years ago, I posted the following clip from 20 years earlier and joked about its relevance. Having seen Trump elected twice since then, it’s all a bit real now:

Back in January 2016, Donald Trump said, “I Could ... Shoot Somebody, And I Wouldn't Lose Any Voters”. So the next question: If Donald Trump shot someone live on Television, would his ratings go up or down?