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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Neocon who wrote (67977)	11/25/2002 4:08:05 PM
From: The Philosopher	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 82486

Certainly to those people, moved to do something to express their esteem and grief, an expression of contempt and even hostility would be magnified at such a time, and hard to forget I guess I'm more in line with the concept that what others may say is up to them; how I respond is up to me. We've had this discussion, so no need to have it again, but I think this is another place where that difference in philosophy comes out. Along with the philosophy of full freedom of speech. Certainly we can, I hope, agree that those remarks couldn't hurt Monica once she was dead. Is there any argument there? If not, then the only people they could have hurt were those left behind. And while I and others were devestated by her totally unexpected and horrible death, and appreciated very much the efforts of those here on SI who were close enough to be able to help out, it is still our choice whether to be offended by anything anybody says. If we choose to be, we will be. If we choose not to be, we will not be. In my case, my relationship with Monica was clear to me, and nothing anybody else said could affect it because I just wouldn't pay any attention or let it affect me. I can see how others, lacking either the desire or the ability to let go of others' remarks, could be offended and could view such comments with bitterness. But for me, I didn't and don't. I just accept that that's X, and that she had the right to say whatever she wanted to. In fact, the test of our belief in free speech comes at just such times. It's easy to support free speech when the things said are things we agree with or that don't offend us. It's harder to support free speech when the things said are things we deplore and that offend us. But that's when the real test comes, don't you think?