Monday, September 24, 2007

Let Ahmadinejad Speak? Of Course!

I sympathize with people who don't want President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran at Columbia University - or the United Nations, but, at the risk of seeming intolerant, America better than that.

Freedom is a difficult, uncomfortable, thing to maintain. There's always a temptation to make some people and ideas more free than others. (Tip of the hat to Orwell and his "more equal than others" phrase.)

I don't agree with the Iranian president, but I think he should not be denied (restricted) platforms for expressing his ideas.

On the other hand, no-one, except for Columbia students and UN personnel, is forced to listen.

My wish would be that nominally unbiased institutions such as Columbia University would extend the same courtesy to non-liberal Americans that they do to the Iranian president.

(This post first appeared, in less coherent form, in a BlogCatalog discussion thread.)

Related posts, on censorship, propaganda, and freedom of speech.
Related posts, on Individuals and the War on Terror.

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