Free Speech: And Why You Should Give a Damn
"In America we like to think we live in a land of liberty, where everyone can say whatever they want. Throughout our history, however, we have also been quick to censor people who offend or frighten us. We talk a good game about freedom of speech, then we turn around and deny it to others. In this brief but bracing book, historian Jonathan Zimmerman and Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist Signe Wilkinson tell the story of free speech in America: who established it, who has denounced it, and who has risen to its defense. They also make the case for why we should care about it today, when free speech is once again under attack. Across the political spectrum, Americans have demanded the suppression of ideas and images that allegedly threaten our nation. But the biggest danger to America comes not from speech but from censorship, which prevents us from freely governing ourselves. Free speech allows us to criticize our leaders. It lets us consume the art, film, and literature we prefer. And, perhaps most importantly, it allows minorities to challenge the oppression they suffer. Free speech has too often been cast as the enemy of social justice, but that view is belied by our history. Disadvantaged Americans have consistently used free speech to defy the powerful. The only way to make a more just and equitable America is to allow every American to have their say"--
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3.5 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews
Summary
A detailed, well-cited argument for the value of free speech, along with a quick history of the many times we've ignored that value.
Review
Just like it says on the box. That's what you get with Free Speech – an argument for why free speech is important, why you should care, and how many people on all sides get it wrong these days.
It's a slim book, but it manages to cover the highlights of the history of US free speech, along with a cogent argument for why it's important – though seemingly without ever quoting two key principles of the free speech movement: “the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence”, and “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”. He does refer to Justice Brandeis (author of the former), and perhaps doesn't get to Voltaire (author of the latter) due to the US focus. These principles, however unspoken, do permeate the book.
Zimmerman's argument, while impassioned, researched, and literate, is also fairly scattershot in presentation He jumps from point to point and time to time with abandon, and the nominal chapters are generally more guideposts in his writing than clear pathways. Happily, his central point comes through clearly – free speech is important, and it's one that is important to make, in these days of content warnings, easily hurt sensibilities, and false claims of ‘cancelation' or censorship.
There's a certain Constitutional illiteracy among not just today's sides, but among historical leaders, judges, and even Supreme Court justices. This seems to be a country incapable of learning from its mistakes, and so we make them over and over and over – particularly with respect to speech. We're at a low point of speech protection, which may get worse before we come to our senses again, and books like this can – I hope – slow our fall.
