Voltaire refuted

[davywavy]

"I disagree with what you are saying, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it."

I've thought about it, and having used the 'random' button on LJ from time to time I have to say I no longer agree with this statement without reservation.
If someone asked me to fight to the death to protect the right of illiterate midwestern 15 year olds to post about their day at the mall and how mom sucks on the internet, I'd laugh in their face.

I mean, Voltaire was right in general but I think you can take a good idea too far.

Comments

[souldier-blue.livejournal.com]

It's not a Voltaire quote...

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Are you sure? He certainly gets the credit for it pretty much everywhere you look.

[souldier-blue.livejournal.com]

If you dig up the original text I think you'll find he was actually quoting someone else - it's one of those famous misattributions.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

The earliest text I found was him writing it in a letter to someone he didn't agree with. Don't know of any earlier attributions.

[vulgarcriminal.livejournal.com]

Thoreau used it in his Civil Discourse as well, John Locke has been credited with it too.

I'm going for the Voltaire option. The Majority Is Always Right.

[vulgarcriminal.livejournal.com]

I thought limeys had a genetic sarcasm detector?

[vulgarcriminal.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, you should only need to watch a few films to get that sorted out again. Won't cost much

[souldier-blue.livejournal.com]

http://www.quoteshead.com/show_authors_quotes/S.-G.-Tallentyre/1/

[vulgarcriminal.livejournal.com]

Hmmmmm.

HMMMMMM.

I hate most 15 year olds as much as the next malcontent but I also think if you stifle any speech, be it about Hello Kitty dildos or uranium tipped rockets, then it leaves everything else open to be 'stifled.'

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

I'm not talking about stifling them. I'm just not going to help, either :)

[vulgarcriminal.livejournal.com]

That, I can understand.

Stupid kids and there stupid journals.

*goes into old woman muttering mode.*

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Let me put it like this: "To preserve the right of l33tninja56 to call people "Suxxor lUzors" over the internet, you, Tiffany, will personally have to die. Possibly in great pain."

You can see my objection, can't you?

[nevecat.livejournal.com]

Yep - it's the idea of defending (to the death) the *general* principle of people being allowed to air their views, not the worthyness of any one specific person yammering on.

[rosamicula.livejournal.com]

It's a shame the Nazis gave eugenics such a bad name.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

In the main, no it isn't.

[souldier-blue.livejournal.com]

Tell that to the Swedish Govt... http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_290000/290807.stm

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Says the fine exemplar of humanity in the corner...

[mooncadet.livejournal.com]

i dont claim to write ANYTHING of real relevance and interest on my LJ. i count on the fact that people have a screening device in regard to this.

their brain.

[ex-boog351.livejournal.com]

In all honesty, I'd only fight to the death for the right for me to say what I want. The rest of you would just get an agressive leaflet campaign out of me.