Alright here we go. This is the stuff that really blurs the intellectual freedom line. Above is a article about a student displaying a sign reading, "Bong hits 4 Jesus". I was unsure of what to react to first, the students right to make and advertise that sign or how offensive the sign is. My first instinct was that the student should be able to express himself without judgement or censorship. Then I considered having small children and them asking me to explain the sign.
On a lighter note, maybe it is not offensive to everyone. Who knows?
As librarians what do we do? We have to do what to morally correct for the general public. In this situation, what is that?
Come on people, let me hear you!
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5 comments:
Hi, I can't find the link to the article...
I couldn't access the article either.
I found an article about this case, but it didn't go into a lot of detail. The student held up a sign during an Olympic torch relay across from the school. I coulnd't tell if it was during school hours or if the student was part of a group that represented the school during that event. The Supreme Court agreed wit the school that the student was celebrating the use of illegal drugs. Even if he was, so what? He wasn't explicitly encouraging anyone else to use drugs. It wasn't obscene or contain 'fighting words', so he ought to be protected by the first amendment, right?
I, too, could not access the article.
However, it could have been worse--at a show in Chicago, I once saw several people parading around wearing shirts emblazoned with "Jesus is a Cunt" across the front. After seeing that, I think most mothers would prefer him to hit the bong.
The link doesn't work, but I have a comment about your description of what the student was doing. Freedom of expression is great as long as you're not offending anybody. I don't believe that last sentence, but it seems like we all are on the side of being offended at some point in our lives. Can we censor little Johnny for wearing an "offensive" T-shirt? Or do we afford him the rights as the skinheads who want to parade around bashing Jews and African Americans and anyone else they disagree with? Just a question to pose (I'm not judging!)
BTW, I still owe you a favor, Megan. Thanks for the heads-up.
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