State shouldn’t be polishing public speech

Many celebrities, educators and public figures have made commercials and written letters telling the public what certain words are inappropriate and should not be used. Like the R-word and the N-word. Most of us would agree that Hollywood is the last place we should look for moral guidance.

But no matter who makes the demand for the renouncing of such words, they need to be reminded that we live in the United States of America. And the first right of our guaranteed Bill of Rights is the right of free speech. And speech, especially objectionable speech, is protected speech.

In 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court stated: We have consistently stressed that “we are often ‘captives' outside the sanctuary of the home and subject to objectionable speech.” Surely the state has no right to cleanse public debate to the point where it is grammatically palatable to the most squeamish among us. Any broader view of this authority would effectively empower a majority to silence dissidents simply as a matter of personal predilections.

Mike Cahalan

Cedar Rapids