Pussy Riot recently released a couple new videos, one a direct warning about Trump, the other an anthem to vaginas (which is awesome as fuck!).
It inspired me to watch the documentary about them that’s available on Netflix right now, and I want to encourage everyone to watch it.
Protest is such an important form of free speech, and this documentary gives a stark example of what happens when totalitarian religion and government try to outlaw “offensive” and “hateful” speech.
We’ve been experiencing an erosion of the rights to protest and free speech…driven as much by the militarized response to human rights and environmental protests (far too many examples to link to) as by the liberal anger towards “hate speech.”
It’s a dangerous trend. And neither conservatives nor liberals seem to realize that if you make it punishable for the other to have protests and free speech, as offensive as it may be, you set yourself up for the same.
In the documentary, you can see how the former intolerance for religious freedom has changed to intolerance for “blasphemy.” But nothing’s really changed. The foundation–that the government has the power to punish one for their beliefs and expression–is the same.
With the recent videos, Pussy Riot does a brilliant job of showing how Trump represents an overt threat to freedom, but the documentary carries a dire warning of another kind.
Free speech is only as secure as the right for the most offensive person to speak without legal retaliation.
As a bi feminist, I may not like it when someone speaks misogynistic or homophobic things, but I realize that their right to that opinion is my right to mine (and you’d better believe I want to be able to respond).
As we head into the future, with whoever becomes President, we as a nation really must consider what kind of nation we want to live in.
Will we support the rights of those we disagree with to have their voice so that we can protect our own?
Or will we support the comfort that comes when a police force can shut down those who make us uncomfortable and thus begin crafting our own gags?
sometimesmagical 