re: "Sacre bleu!" (BP, PostBag, November 21, 2020)
Dear editor,
Ray Ban, whilst I agree that it's polite to let people get on with their personal beliefs, however fantastic, provided they not seek to inflict their incredible notions on others with laws about alcohol sales and use, abortion restrictions, marriage limitations, or whatever, I'm afraid that democracy is not so gentle as I am.
A commitment to democracy requires, absolutely, that the law not only tolerate but actively protect things that we personally find deeply offensive. This is necessary to meet the foundational democratic principle that all members of the society have an equal right to a voice in determining not only their government and the laws it makes on their behalf, but also an equal voice in determining the form of the society from which that government and those laws arise. Merely allowing all an equal vote is not enough to meet the demands of democracy. To silence a voice merely because it offends some, no matter how great a majority, is contrary to the most basic democratic principle.
Yes, it is more polite not to gratuitously mock revered beliefs, but others will and do have equally revered beliefs to the contrary. To give one example, I and most people (I sincerely hope) happen to find the vile expressions of opinion of such groups as the Westboro Baptist Church repugnant as they spew such filth as "God hates fags," and worse. But their legal right to so pollute society must be protected if we are to respect democratic principle. I don't like it. I wish they would not do it. But the US Supreme Court is right to uphold the legal right of those religious zealots to grossly offend the more decent majority. Democracy is far more than majority rule.
Felix Qui
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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.
The text as edited was published in PostBag on November 22, 2020, under the title "Our right to offend" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/2023615/protesters-losing-their-way
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