Would you give your life for Free Speech?

[Alex Kulak2]

I was at rehearsal for a musical earlier (aptly, a production of 1776), and we had a dramaturg come in to talk about the political climate of the era. She asked us to raise our hands if we thought this country was going in the wrong direction, and almost everyone raised their hand. Next, she said to keep our hands up if we would be willing to put our life on the line to change that, and I was one of the only people who kept my hand up. Yesterday, the president shut down the National Park Twitter account after it commented on the inauguration turnout. He is also making cuts to Arts grants, and controlling press conferences to accept lies as "alternative facts". As a playwright, the most important right guaranteed to me as an American citizen is the freedom of speech, and I can see that right being seriously threatened in the coming years.

[kdogg36]

I'm close to a free-speech absolutist, and I absolutely (ha) share your fears. However, it would take a lot for us to eclipse the worst of times for free speech in the US. The Alien and Sedition Acts [1798] criminalized most criticism of the federal government. In the early 20th century, you could be put in prison for speech that supported anarchy or opposed US involvement in World War I. Free-speech protections became much more robust as the 20th century wore on, and I can't see even a conservative Supreme Court turning back to the bad old days. (In this one case.)

[kdogg36]

(Once and for all, how do you avoid unwanted emojis from being generated on this board?)

[Theater_Nerd]

kdogg, to avoid this : (179 I would type this: [1798] - notice I used the brackets [ ] instead of the parentheses ( ). 

[kdogg36]

Thanks! I guess that'll do.