In Wake of Charlie Hebdo Attack, Let’s Not Sacrifice Even More Rights

Re:In Wake of Charlie Hebdo Attack, Let’s Not Sacrifice Even... by pyre on Thursday January 08, 2015 @07:16PM (#8859931)

> Has our society ever really believed

"Society" is a great mass of people with varying belief systems. Most of the cultural norms are dictated from above, not necessarily by populist consensus.

> Freedom to express our views, when they disagree with the majority, has been successfully suppressed.

Huh? Will you be jailed for expressing your views? Lose your job? End up homeless and destitute? Get beaten up by a pack of rowdy youths?

Freedom to express one's views doesn't mean that everyone else has to listen to them. If a Bible-thumper starts preaching in the middle of a music concert, should everyone stop and listen to respect his free speech rights? Is tossing him out of the concert oppressing his religious views?

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Re:In Wake of Charlie Hebdo Attack, Let’s Not Sacrifice Even... by TheSpiceIsLife on Thursday January 08, 2015 @10:21PM (#8860554)

> Most of the cultural norms are dictated from above, not necessarily by populist consensus.

Steven Pinker might not agree with you here. See his book 'The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined' and the reference in it for some examples of cultural norm changes occurring from the bottom up.

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