OPINION:
Humza Yousaf, the former first minister of Scotland, is thinking of suing Elon Musk after the X owner called him “super racist” on social media for saying too many Whites hold leadership positions in the country. Musk, for his part, said go ahead, dude — come and get me copper.
The fact that this is even a real thing shows how much the concept of free speech has been degraded over the years.
The Founding Fathers gave us a model of free speech as a God-given right and liberty — meaning, that the default position was the right of the individual to speak as he or she saw fit, and that government could held no authority to swoop in and put a stop to that speech. The consideration in this model is one of morality, not right; that is to say, individuals who are properly morally compassed understand there is a difference between having the right to say something and having the wisdom to know whether that thing should be said.
Citizens who are godly do not use their freedom of speech to accomplish wicked designs.
And as America moves more down a path of secularism and atheism and away from a nation of Bible believers, and biblical truth-tellers, filled with god-fearing people and godly people — and therefore, godly governance — the more hate-filled speech and ugly speech become the norm. The more the lines between proper speech and, say, antisemitic speech, or speech that’s masked as calls to violence, become the norm. And then the more calls to put a stop to such speech become the norm. And then — and this is where the First Amendment becomes watered — the more the government is turned to as the preventer of all this hate-filled, ugly, violence-laced, antisemitic speech.
But that’s not to say this is government’s proper role.
Thomas Jefferson argued free speech was necessary for self-government. Benjamin Franklin insisted free speech was a bedrock for all liberty — and for the ability of the people to discern right from wrong. These are simple truths that have become convoluted and twisted over the years, due largely to the secularization of American society that has resulted in government stepping in to fill roles that it has no business filling. Another simple truth that’s been twisted for political reasons? Calling “fire” in a crowded theater is not free speech. Neither is outright calling to kill someone. The first is a scream; the second, a threat. Don’t let the free speech controllers spin these truths.
Government should not be the arbiter of proper speech. That’s God’s domain — that’s the role of the Bible and biblical teaching and morality.
Political speech, especially, is protected speech — offensive speech, particularly, is protected speech. There is zero need, after all, to protect speech that causes zero offense. Who’s to protest?
“Anybody who goes on social media, even if they own the platform and thinks that free speech is absolute whether in the UK or USA, needs to think again,” said Yousaf’s attorney, Aamer Anwar, Breitbart reported. “Free speech carries responsibility and if you break the law there are consequences. … Elon Musk has effectively painted a target on Humza Yousaf’s back with his completely unacceptable, untrue and inflammatory comments.”
Musk, for his part, responded on X by writing, “He’s obviously super racist against white people. I dare that scumbag to sue me. Go ahead, make my day.”
Yousaf then suggested Musk “seems to be hoping for a civil war in the UK,” and is “almost instigating it” and is “one of the most dangerous men on the planet.”
Sticks and stones, right?
The dangerous ones are those who say speech is dangerous and in need of regulation and clamping — and then want to be the arbiters and regulators of speech. Those are the ones who are the real threats to humanity.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley. Listen to her podcast “Bold and Blunt” by clicking HERE. And never miss her column; subscribe to her newsletter and podcast by clicking HERE. Her latest book, “Lockdown: The Socialist Plan To Take Away Your Freedom,” is available by clicking HERE or clicking HERE or CLICKING HERE.
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