The freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution exists not for the things we want to hear. It exists for the opinions, ideas and speech that we -- as in the majority of us -- dislike, disdain and disagree with.
Otherwise, why would the protection be needed?
Whatever point Gary Delp wanted to make on the Bristol Virginia Courthouse steps today, the First Amendment gave him the right to say it. That’s why he and other members of his group, the White Knights, a Ku Klux Klan affiliate, staged their rally in Bristol. Word was that Mr. Delp, the group’s Imperial Wizard, was unhappy that their plans were revealed to the public through an article in this newspaper.
That apparently prompted a counter-rally of sorts – one that ended up drowning out Delp’s message.
Tempers flared. Angry people moved closer together, and police officers who were out in force for just that reason, shut everything down and sent everyone home.
No arrests. No one harmed, physically.
But it certainly wasn’t a good thing.
Because of the Klan’s history, and a philosophy of racism, many expected Delp’s message to be highly distasteful and inappropriate to a majority that values diversity and freedoms for all. Yet he had a right to say it.
Our country’s history is replete with horrors inflicted on fellow human beings in the name of racism – and we see vestiges of similar hate around the world. But we have come a long, uncomfortable way, and hateful speech is neither acceptable nor tolerated.
The folks who gathered Saturday to drown out organizers of the rally are ample evidence of that.
That is certainly a good thing.
The counter-protestors views too are protected by the First Amendment. They had a right to be there, to express their ideas, to shout out the horrors of racism (whether Delp was delivering that message or not).
The sad thing is the efforts before the courthouse Saturday changed little.
While our society has come a long way on this issue, there are still some -- and likely for a long time will still be a few -- who fail to divest themselves of bigotry and hatred.
Maybe, rather than getting into a shouting match, the secret to defeating such hatred is to ignore the words. Granted, we should never forget that bigotry and racism and hatred are present among us. Rather we must always stand guard against such ideas becoming action.
Still, a shouting match only fuels the fire – and when tempers fly the potential for physical harm increases.
Next time, maybe, the best response would be none at all. Just don’t go.
Ask your pastor, he (or she) will likely agree.
We must keep our eyes open for hateful action and stand against it anytime it appears. We can be proactive in stopping it by getting involved in community groups that are multicultural and diverse.
But we must turn our backs (and our cheeks) on hateful speech.
For without an audience, it has little meaning.
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