Say it with symbolism

The public needs to relax when it comes to symbolic speech, look past the shock factor

By: Ian McPhail

Posted: 11/17/08

Few freedoms are as inalienable as the right to free speech. Recently, attention has turned to the issue of symbolic speech at Texas A&M. Symbolic speech draws extra attention to the words of the speaker, enabling them to demonstrate the seriousness of the issue they are protesting.

There is a public moral indignation about anything less than politically correct, which extends to anything said by media figures for shock value. Instead of outrage at the use of this gesture, society needs to focus on the message that is going through such lengths to be portrayed. From throwing eggs to burning flags, symbolic speech is a right that needs to be protected.

Nearly half the members of the U.S. House and Senate were willing to vote in 2006 for an amendment that would make the desecration of the country's flag illegal. The country is in danger of losing a critical part of free speech because of society's inability to reconcile with the fact that someone has lost enough faith in America to dishonor its symbol. When the government is not nationally attempting to take this liberty away, the public will cry out against something as simple as a symbolic act in political rally and construe it as a racist demonstration.

A&M and the Young Conservatives of Texas were victims of this when the symbolic speech of throwing away a "nest egg" with a vote for Sen. Barack Obama quickly became race related. Public opinion has turned against free speech, with charitable comedians like Don Imus and Jerry Louis hearing calls for termination based on light-hearted off-color jokes made in the course of their occupation.

Society needs to be less concerned about being politically correct. People should stand against the elimination of the most basic rights through political legislation and the pressure of public opinion. The government should never have the right to limit the way people express themselves. An act as important as flag burning should be reserved for those who want to draw attention to an atrocity they believe the country has committed.

Simply because an act is done on the margins of what is politically correct does not justify ignoring the message, as pundits seemed to do when commenting on the YCT carnival. People need to look past the shock value of what has been said or done and focus on the message being presented, and its intent and context, before dismissing a person or group as bigoted.

However, any form of speech designed to draw attention requires a fairly important message. Igniting a flag to protest the execution of a murderer portrays a crazy person, but the flags that blazed in protest of the Vietnam War carried a very different meaning.

Before carrying out symbolic speech, it is important to be sure that the words behind the action are strong enough to justify it. Perhaps YCT made their mistake in not speaking loudly enough on the message behind the egg throwing, but that hardly indicates a hidden racist attitude by them or the University. A few offensive remarks should not taint the careers of men like Imus and Louis, who now have anything they speak about race immediately called into question. With our most basic liberty under assault, its time to stand up for it by not being too sensitive, even if the way it is presented rubs someone the wrong way.