Why Free Speech? (Vera Speaking)
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Ann, Fred, and even Dee are parroting the rhetoric of a liberal society. We were all raised on it. Who hasn't read John Stuart Mill's On Liberty? Mill's work is inspirational. But we have to guard against its rhetoric precisely because so much of what he said has been taken up as political common sense. We tend to repeat his arguments without questioning them.

Mill's ideas justify a particular kind of society, a liberal society with an emphasis on individual liberties. The theory is that individual freedom leads to both social progress and a flowering of individuality. We need to ask whether these 'common sense' political notions are really true.

I believe that if we study history we will see that liberal society has indeed led to individuality and progress for some but not for all. In some important cases its concern for individual freedom and disregard for broader consequences has hurt women badly.

For example, on some recent interpretations, free speech has been extended to include the most vile pornography. The books, magazines, and videos I'm talking about have nothing to do with the search for truth. They may or may not contribute to male 'individuality' if you want to call it that. But they do nothing but harm women and suppress their individuality. It's hard to imagine that they contribute anything to social progress.

Before we accept any generalization about the benefits of free expression, I want to know that the benefits extend to women, and not just to men.

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