I am posting this diary because I was wrong about something a while back and I think it necessary to make a public apology. During the Imus/"Mann Coulter" debates, I took the freedom of expression side and I was wrong to do so. I was wrong, quite simply, because I assumed that the battles most of the anti-speech crowd were talking about were already over and won by our side, and that with time victory over the ideologies was inevitable.
Needless to say, I was wrong. Without active engagement, dialogue, and a focus on active improvement instead of passively hoping that the problem will solve itself, we will see a resurgence of the Right-Wing ideology of hatred.
I would like to thank terrypinder, wiscmass, and rserven for yelling at me about it at various points in time. Y'all were right, I was wrong. Plain and simple as that. I didn't figure it out from being yelled at though, I figured it out after being surrounded by Right-Wing ideologues for a year and hearing some rather vile comments (and witnessing some equally vile actions) from (by) the people in whom I had previously invested a great deal of faith.
Turns out that the faith was misplaced and our society has a long way to go.
As for why I'm posting the public apology, I'm a believer in personally taking responsibility for mistakes: whether they are insignificant, minor, or major. If I criticize politicians for not being able to admit that they are wrong then I'd better be able to admit a mistake myself.
I'm busy studying for mid term exams so I won't be as available in the comments as I'd like to be, but I'll still be around.