The Right To Be Let Alone
The most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized men.
One of the things that irritates me about earnest young people screaming “First Amendment!” is their belief that their right to speak their minds also obliges me to listen to them do so.
They are convinced that their freedom of speech comes with a concomitant compulsion to listen to them; that it’s perfectly in their rights to trap me in my car and force me to listen to them run their cake-holes about whatever Outrage du Jour they’re directed to be passionate about this week.
Whenever you see videos of “protestors” blocking traffic in order to vent their spleens about … whatever … the people trapped in their vehicles are being coerced into listening; when you see videos of “protestors” getting their stupid on in restaurants with loud-speakers and airhorns, those patrons are being constrained to listen.
Usually followed by public officials snivelling, “They have a First Amendment right to protest.”
Be that so, no private citizen has the “right” to force another into … anything. I don’t care how “righteous” or “just” your cause is, nowhere in your First Amendment right does it mention anything about obliging me to listen.
“… the right to be let alone – the most comprehensive of rights, and the right most valued by civilized men.”
~Justice Louis D. Brandeis, in his dissent to Olmstead v. United States
Blocking a throughway, causing traffic to back up, resulting in drivers being trapped in their vehicles and having to listen to your bushwa is a violation of the civil right of the drivers to be let the hell alone. And I tire of it.
Intruding into the private space of a restaurant to berate the patrons with bullhorns and shrieking, forcing the patrons to choose between the meal or leaving is a violation of the civil right of the patrons. And I tire of it.
University professors who encourage their students to block traffic or invade restaurants need to be horse-whipped unconscious in the public square and then struck off, forbidden from teaching ever again.
Elected officials who tolerate and excuse the blocking of traffic or invasion of restaurant space need to be horse-whipped unconscious in the public square, removed from office, and disqualified from holding public office ever again.
As for the protestors themselves, I actually don’t think that clogging up the courts is the appropriate response to the little honyocks.
No, I think that if you block traffic for whatever social message you’re promoting, and traffic turns you and your buddies into crinkle-cut people-patties — well, that’s on you. No, you don’t get to sue and clog up he courts, either. Stay the hell out of the road.
If you and your dacoit buddies invade a cafe with bullhorns, airhorns, and shrieking resulting in the patrons dragging you down and beating second through sixth grade out of you — sucks to be you. No legal remedy available.
Let me the hell alone.
Goodness, I’m a mood today.
Ian
I feel this deep in my bones. I'm perfectly happy for YOU to be outraged about whatever it is you think will benefit from your blood pressure going up. I am tired. I have no intention of trying to keep a list of things I "should be upset about". But if you want to see ME outraged, try dragging me into your public temper tantrum.
If it weren't for the fact that I have a pretty good idea how Ian would react, I'd try to shanghai him to run on that platform.
As it happens, I prefer my hide attached to my body, thankyouverymuch.
And, to be fair, that wouldn't be letting him alone.