This country is so great! Where else could you find the tolerance for public idiocy that is allowed in the U.S.? Where else could you live that you wouldn’t be arrested for insulting, belittling or ridiculing your government, neighbors, enemies, friends, family or assorted animals. There are, of course, restrictions that limit the freedom of speech under our First Amendment. If a written, printed or pictorial statement unjustly defames someone publicly it is possibly libelous. It is libel if the words contain untruths or falsehoods that defame the slimy radical SOB who probably deserved the libelous words.
In public life these days, most liberals would love to have immunity from the laws of libel so they could facilitate their ability to lie with impunity in partnership with members of their controlled press. You know, they think there’s nothing wrong with partners-in- crime who together can sway public opinion with pure liberal propaganda , outright lies, calculated news omissions, and slanted views that produce ideological BO.
Slander, however, is a different breed of cat and applies to spoken defamation that is false and damaging to another’s reputation. Radicals have found new ways to slander without uttering a word, through symbols and insulting behavior. It is slander based on personal invective that isn’t spoken, but conveys words through symbolism. The most universal slander is using the road rage symbol of gesturing with the middle finger while driving, or responding to someone else’s words or behavior. It’s origination was in ancient Greece where if someone at the Acropolis gave you the finger, it was directing you to go use the latrine (which was an open outhouse, filthy because toilet paper hadn’t been invented yet), signifying their opinion of you by directing you to a place they thought you belonged.
Today the finger has a similar meaning. This is flipping you off and essentially telling you where to go. Other comparable symbols today might include the raised fist, stockings decorated with pigs, sitting during the singing of the National Anthem or refusing to say the Pledge of Allegiance.
Symbolism is becoming increasingly important in embracing causes that the believer is afraid to explain, for fear of alienating people. For example, Bernie Sanders could use an emoji bearing a hammer and sickle. Or the Southern Poverty Law Center could create a human mouth with an X over it to signify it’s attempt to silence our freedom of speech by accusing us of being racist or members of a hate group, just because they think we are.
Symbols are messages and in today’s world of crisis and doubt. But we can’t forget the
ones that inspire and give hope to millions. Consider the Christian Cross, the Star of
David, the American flag and the V for Victory sign that signaled America’s victory over
evil in World war II. The V is still the symbol of free speech – your Voice!
