I, like Don Aitkin, had to work to locate your point here. Whilst Shockadelic my have confused which part of the political 'spectrum' Helen resides, his/her comment is cogent to the argument on 18c.

As Leslie observes, your 'flashy intellect' could be used to illustrate your point in a less prolix fashion?

Of course it doesn't matter who said what in the 18th century or whenever. So what does matter? In my opinion, the one thing that has clearly emerged from the current round of debates is that attitude to free speech and how far it should go is nothing more than a matter of opinion. Appealing to a 'higher authority' from which to derive some kind of proof for one’s opinion is a futile exercise. And, in my opinion again, appealing to a higher authority via some kind of definition or declaration of a 'right' is even more futile. 'Right' has become the weasel word par excellence, of ever diminishing value.

So, if it's just a matter of opinion, whose opinion is to count. The majority's of course. That's where we are living now.

Having said that, let me defend my personal opinion, which may or may not be that of the majority but which is worth exactly the same as the good Dr Pringle's (in my opinion, that is). After all, I too have a PhD and a solid record of publication etc., etc. What's more, I have frequently been vilified, as a refugee, an 'ethnic' Jew and probably lots of other things. I was even vilified the other day by an Orthodox Jew and it was pretty scary. Dr Pringle may be able to beat my record; I just don’t know, though her article here may score her a few ticks. As a child I guess I was offended, or even scared, but as an adult I have to say there are many other things that offend me much more deeply. So, I am least as qualified as Dr Pringle to have a view on free speech, racial or religious insults, and the whole shebang. And my view is that 18C ought to go out the window lock stock and barrel.

So what if Voltaire didn’t actually say those words. Helen misses the point. The power of the phrase does not rest on an appeal to authority, assuming it must be true because Voltaire said so (who nowadays knows or cares much about Voltaire anyway?). The phrase has resonance because is encapsulates an important principle in a vigorous and memorable aphorism. Marie Antoinette didn’t actually say “let them eat cake”, but it remains a powerful distillation of aristocratic disdain and ignorance of the lot of poor folk.

I’d be much more impress if Helen engaged with the substance of the phrase, not its origins. At least she linked to the Spectator article – well worth a read.

I don't necessarily agree with everything that Helen says, but I'll defend whatever she says, provided it does not incite violence.

Christ, what a bunch of limp-d!cks. I've lived in Aboriginal communities where the boundary between abuse and violence is somewhat casual. Some of the kids went through a phase of calling me 'Red-hole', which made them feel real good, superior, powerful. The boys were nearly as cutting. Some of them were as pale as I was, so I don't know if they had checked the details of their own physiology. Ridicule was a daily occurrence anyway. One woman swore at another about her flouting her melons. 'Better than your lemons,' the other one replied. Quite witty really. Two sisters, by the way. Abuse, especially over a weekend, used to give way rapidly to a sort of ritualised invitation to extreme violence, which was eagerly answered. God, I wish I'd kept a journal.

To all OLO participants: please feel free to offend or insult me at any time, if I should ever say anything remotely worthy of comment and/or attack.

Joe

We put far too much importance on the pontifications of dead white dudes anyway. I guess it takes our mind of having to put so much importance on the pontifications of living white dudes.

18C is a farce, but resistance is futile. The Global Accords on the New World Order of Absolute Planetary Homogeneity has many more horrors in store for us. This proposal from the EU could actually get passed in the near future:
[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2009_2014/documents/libe/dv/11_revframework_statute_/11_revframework_statute_en.pdf

Basically, it's a 12-page document from the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation outlining the proposed criminalisation of about 1000 things people might say that won't be either tolerated or reconciled with.

I love the line about << dead white dudes>> or more usually, old white male authors or politicans.

It's both funny haha like and funny Twilight Zonish, because I have found that so many of those spouting it are post menopausal white females who physically and mental appear to be clones of Germaine Greer.