Censoring legal free speech is a slippery and dangerous slope
Germaine Greer, feminist icon, writer and philosopher, famously and controversially wrote in her book, “The Female Eunuch”, that motherhood represses women sexually and they need to embrace their full sensual selves, including ditching monogamy and celibacy in all circumstances.
Giving a speech at a Welsh literary festival in late May, Greer got herself in hot water again, this time by talking about her desire to “turn the discourse about rape upside down”. She argues that a lot of heterosexual sex is nonconsensual. “Every time a man rolls over on his exhausted wife and insists on enjoying his conjugal rights, he is raping her. It will never end up in a court of law.”
She argues rape should not be seen as a “spectacularly violent crime”, that it’s more really just “lazy, careless and insensitive.” And she argues punishments in many rape cases are too severe, and many rapists would be more suitably sentenced to 200 hours of community service, and perhaps be compelled to wear an ‘R’ tattoo on hand, arm or cheek.
This editorial actually isn’t about Germaine Greer. Bear with us.
You may find Greer’s views on rape offensive, or not. But would you argue she shouldn’t be allowed to be a speaker at a facility in Hamilton that is owned by taxpayers?
How about Shaun King, formerly the face and voice of Black Lives Matter, who faced a controversy about his own racial heritage and has said some extreme things about repression of right-wing views. Is he too controversial for, say, Hamilton’s FirstOntario
Should Peterson be banned from selling his snake oil at Hamilton’s public entertainment venues? If so, who else should be? And who decides?
Concert Hall?
In the mind of city councillor Matthew Green, Jordan Peterson is too controversial for that venue. The controversial university professor, equally liked and reviled, is booked here as part of his lecture tour based on his bestselling book “Rules for Life”.
Peterson came into the spotlight in part for his insistence on not respecting language about gender identification preference. There’s nothing particularly special about his shtick. He’s homophobic and misogynistic. He preaches about self-respect, discipline and a sense of superiority being a key to improving the lives of young people, especially young men. Not all of what he says is disgusting, but some of his rules for life are.
All this said, Peterson is popular. His YouTube channel has 800,000 followers and his classroom lectures are so popular some have been filmed for TV and the internet. His speaking tour has been quite successful. Most people who dislike or even hate his views wouldn’t think of forking out money to see him. Others, though, would and do.
Should Peterson be banned from selling his snake oil at Hamilton’s public entertainment venues? If so, who else should be? And who decides?
The World Wrestling Federation is about as tawdry and sexist as you can get. Should it be banned, too, to avoid upsetting those of us who find that shtick offensive?
If someone is peddling a message that meets the legal standard of spreading hatred, they should be investigated and prosecuted. But Peterson isn’t doing that, any more than Greer or King have done. Entertainment booking based on ideology, even when it’s distasteful ideology, is not a good idea.