Equality (Fred Speaking)
						Return To Main Path

• First of all, you're talking about something called "substantive equality." I understand that to mean something other than "formal" equality before the law. (Formal equality guarantees that the law will not explicitly discriminate on the basis of race per se.) But there are many kinds of substantive equality and you have not indicated what kind you are talking about. Are you talking about equality of political power or income or wealth or prestige or height or weight or what?

• Second, you keep saying that some sort of substantive equality is a precondition for effective freedom of expression. Maybe so, but you haven't offered anything in the way of evidence. Whether a certain kind of equality is necessary for people to have effective freedom of expression is a sociological question. We can't decide in the abstract. You have got to offer evidence.

• Finally, I'm sure that you don't believe that black Americans, including black students, have the substantive equality you are talking about. But then how do you explain the scores of black newspapers, the existence of the Black Entertainment TV channel, the many black political organizations, and the obviously very vocal black student body here on campus? It seems to me that you are simply wrong to claim that blacks are silenced; and it follows that you are wrong to claim that a great increase in substantive equality is a necessary condition of effective freedom of expression.

Ariadne Home	Hate Speech Bibliography	Hate Speech Home