Protesting and freedom of speech are not interchangeable and can at times conflict with each other, as some people push the limits of protesting beyond what is acceptable; while others tend to take freedom of speech for granted.
Protesting and Freedom of Speech.
Citizens of the United States should be thankful that freedom of speech is generally available, as other countries around the world tend to not give their citizens as much freedom. Depending on the countries you visit when you travel, you may need to be more careful about voicing your thoughts and opinions, as sometimes you may forget that you may be in a jurisdiction which does not support your point of view.
Protesting was quite popular in the 1960s; and doing so has become popular again within the last decade. Part of it was spurred by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic, in which some people protested the wearing of masks and other facial coverings; while other people protested that covering faces should be as much of a requirement as covering other body parts. Part of it was also spurred by politics in which parties around the world seem to strive to find the worst possible candidates to be elected or selected into office — to the point where a bucket of raw sewage would be a better choice.
The problem is that protesting has gotten out of hand in some cases — to the point of unproductive inconvenience and unnecessary violence. As one example, a group called Just Stop Oil has been actively blocking passengers access to gates at airports and has been defacing property to get their message across. Also — as protests do not belong on access roads to airports — the question is what should be done about them?
Final Boarding Call
This comment by Geoffrey Greene — who is a reader of The Gate With Brian Cohen — was written in response to this article pertaining to the banning of masks and other coverings for faces by Nassau County on Long Island in New York: “Brian, you know perfectly well this ordinance was passed to prevent the dangerous Jew-hating pro-Hammas masked protesters from assuming anonymity while they intimidate and Harris Jews. Being masked is why the NYC DA Alvin Bragg let virtually all of the Columbia Pro-Hammas protestors, including those who kidnapped some Columbia U janitors, walk Scott free. That’s why the law exists. No difference than laws that banned the KKK from wearing white sheets.”
I do not disagree with that comment in general; but if someone is doing something wrong, harming someone else, or is otherwise exceeding the bounds of the law, that should be enough to hold that person accountable and responsible and prosecute that person — whether or not he or she is wearing a mask or some other covering for his or her face. I do not believe that a law which prohibits wearing masks or other coverings for faces will result in anything significantly productive. To me, that is simply adding another layer of intervention by a government.
I also support the right of someone to wear a mask or a covering of his or her face if he or she so chooses — for whatever reason — as long as doing so is within the confines of the law. To me, protesting or saying something while wearing a mask is no different than posting a comment to any of my articles without using a real name: in both cases, the person is voicing his or her opinion in anonymity — which is fine with me, as the Comments section of every article is not moderated by me. Other than “spam”, no comment is deleted…
…and believe me, I have had well more than my share of hateful comments directed squarely at me over the years for what I have written in the past. As uncomfortable as reading them may be for me, I feel that readers of The Gate With Brian Cohen have a right to express themselves — and I let the comments stand.
I may completely disagree with what a person says or how he or she is protesting — but as long as that person does so lawfully and without harming anyone else, I completely support that person to voice the message with which I disagree.
Photograph ©2014 by Brian Cohen.
