This is a beautiful essay - it is not describing beauty, it is not using most beautiful words, but it shines a light to the most beautiful part of human spirit.
"It’s telling people what fork to use, but you can get a degree in it."
"Motherfucker, I’m an American. That shit does not work on me."
"In prerevolutionary France, even the most drunken, depraved, debauched libertine had to be prepared to back up an insolent act with a sword duel to the death. Our aristocrats pee themselves at the sight of mean tweets. They have no honor, no belief, no poetry, art, or humor, no patriotism, no loyalty, no dreams, and no accomplishments. They’re simultaneously illiterate and pretentious, which is very hard to pull off."
Our rulers desperately need the help of the censor. Just about everything they have pushed on us has Made Things Worse, from help for the poor that turned into blowing up the low-income family, to education of children that has become state indoctrination, to cleaning up pollution that has turned into the climate change cult, to the late COVID unpleasantness that pushed all kinds of measures that didn't do a thing to help.
Really, whenever our rulers decide they need censorship that is our clue that something in their grand plan is going wrong.
This is the most important issue in this election season. More important than immigration, more important than the economy, and more important than foreign policy. Without absolute freedom of speech, everything else falls apart.
"I’m not encouraging you to be skeptical of authority. I’m encouraging you to defy authority."
We have turned power and authority (authority is really power + sanction) into an idol. As long as "my side" has the keys to the kingdom, everything is OK. Until you don't, and it isn't.
Those of a biblical bent might invoke Romans 13 and say "all authority comes from God", to which I would say, so do gold and calves.
I am working on a book about the Iron Rules of Authority. Two of which are 1) authority naturally evades accountability, even when there are mechanisms in place to hold it to account and 2) authority trusts other authority as impartial, versus trusting self-interested individuals.
Thank you, Matt; and thank you, TFP, for publishing this. It should be added to the required reading list in many high school/college courses (followed by the teacher actively prompting wide participation in classroom discussion) . Our country would be better for it.
The larger one is when Matt points out that ignoring or defying the law is bad for rulers, and rightly so. But then how can defiance of the law be commendable for those being ruled?
Double Standard!
It opens the door for one nation's "criminals" to be another nation's "liberators", depending on your personal class rank (ruling vs. ruled / the have's vs. the have-not's). Selective freedom to break laws is already a global epidemic, Heaven knows we don't need to feed that beast!
Matt may have just not thought to spell out what makes the difference, but I think he will agree with me:
What is really commendable about "freedom of speech" -- or the hubris of "freedom" itself -- is when people defy BAD laws because of allegiance to HIGHER laws that are right and good.
Summed up in Bible terms -- "We must obey GOD rather than men."
All classes without exception (including Matt's "sea pirates") need to be morally held to that same one standard.
The human soul, whether religiously inclined or not, instinctively knows when the one standard is being applied, and reacts with anger when it's not. This is self-correcting when freedom of speech is protected. And as he said, speech is always "free", i.e. doable -- it's the cost that silences people.
And now for the smaller flaw:
According to that Higher Law, even if we're angry and we need to defy the powers that be, we don't need to be "assholes" to get our message across.
"jumped-up tobacconists", dang, that's good stuff!
This is a beautiful essay - it is not describing beauty, it is not using most beautiful words, but it shines a light to the most beautiful part of human spirit.
Wonderful!!!!!
Never forget Copernicus. He declared the Earth orbited the sun while "everyone" in his time knew that the opposite was true.
How many know the name "Copernicus"? How many can list a single name of "everyone"?
Loved, not liked!
A thrilling read. Thank you!
Favorite quotes:
"It’s telling people what fork to use, but you can get a degree in it."
"Motherfucker, I’m an American. That shit does not work on me."
"In prerevolutionary France, even the most drunken, depraved, debauched libertine had to be prepared to back up an insolent act with a sword duel to the death. Our aristocrats pee themselves at the sight of mean tweets. They have no honor, no belief, no poetry, art, or humor, no patriotism, no loyalty, no dreams, and no accomplishments. They’re simultaneously illiterate and pretentious, which is very hard to pull off."
Our rulers desperately need the help of the censor. Just about everything they have pushed on us has Made Things Worse, from help for the poor that turned into blowing up the low-income family, to education of children that has become state indoctrination, to cleaning up pollution that has turned into the climate change cult, to the late COVID unpleasantness that pushed all kinds of measures that didn't do a thing to help.
Really, whenever our rulers decide they need censorship that is our clue that something in their grand plan is going wrong.
This is the most important issue in this election season. More important than immigration, more important than the economy, and more important than foreign policy. Without absolute freedom of speech, everything else falls apart.
"I’m not encouraging you to be skeptical of authority. I’m encouraging you to defy authority."
We have turned power and authority (authority is really power + sanction) into an idol. As long as "my side" has the keys to the kingdom, everything is OK. Until you don't, and it isn't.
Those of a biblical bent might invoke Romans 13 and say "all authority comes from God", to which I would say, so do gold and calves.
I am working on a book about the Iron Rules of Authority. Two of which are 1) authority naturally evades accountability, even when there are mechanisms in place to hold it to account and 2) authority trusts other authority as impartial, versus trusting self-interested individuals.
My favorite speeches in the last year. This one and Bari’s speech at The Federalist Society last November. Bravo Matt!!
What a stud. And specifically, an American stud.
Thank you, Matt; and thank you, TFP, for publishing this. It should be added to the required reading list in many high school/college courses (followed by the teacher actively prompting wide participation in classroom discussion) . Our country would be better for it.
Nice. I haven't heard a really well said "Fuck You!" since the 70s.
A great manifesto. But it has one or two flaws.
The larger one is when Matt points out that ignoring or defying the law is bad for rulers, and rightly so. But then how can defiance of the law be commendable for those being ruled?
Double Standard!
It opens the door for one nation's "criminals" to be another nation's "liberators", depending on your personal class rank (ruling vs. ruled / the have's vs. the have-not's). Selective freedom to break laws is already a global epidemic, Heaven knows we don't need to feed that beast!
Matt may have just not thought to spell out what makes the difference, but I think he will agree with me:
What is really commendable about "freedom of speech" -- or the hubris of "freedom" itself -- is when people defy BAD laws because of allegiance to HIGHER laws that are right and good.
Summed up in Bible terms -- "We must obey GOD rather than men."
All classes without exception (including Matt's "sea pirates") need to be morally held to that same one standard.
The human soul, whether religiously inclined or not, instinctively knows when the one standard is being applied, and reacts with anger when it's not. This is self-correcting when freedom of speech is protected. And as he said, speech is always "free", i.e. doable -- it's the cost that silences people.
And now for the smaller flaw:
According to that Higher Law, even if we're angry and we need to defy the powers that be, we don't need to be "assholes" to get our message across.
WOW! What a great article/speech. Inspiring. Very American!!
My civics students are going to read this.
Gave me goosebumps!