mic check - shut the FUCK up you assholes

There is a new form of protest called a "mic check". How it works is a crowd of people disrupt a speech by yelling "mic check" and then delivering a speech of their own, drowning out the original speaker. You can see this in action here and here.

This is a cheap and dirty way for a group to get the media to report on their point, as of course they only do this when cameras are rolling. I love protest. I'm a huge fan of the 60's and the anti Vietnam and pro civil rights demonstrations that went on back then.

So why then, as a fan of protest and dissent, do I find this form so repellent? Because if you observe what is going on, if you THINK about it, what these protesters are REALLY doing is engaging in censorship. They are denying a persons 1st amendment right of free speech in order to make their own. They no doubt feel cute and slick, as not only are they getting their own speech out to the media, they are denying the speech of someone they don't like.

I find this behavior despicable and repulsive. Censorship is the OPPOSITE of freedom no matter what party puts it to use. In a free society ALL parties MUST be allowed to speak. If the speaker is unpopular no one is required to listen to them, although it is a good idea to listen to people you disagree with, NOT shout them down, as it gives you a more solid foundation to argue against them.

The internet is the greatest medium of free speech ever. That is what needs to be used to propagate dissenting views. Anyone can stand up and be an asshole disrupting a speech, it's NOT impressive and garners little sympathy for a cause. No matter what the cause is, the 1st amendment doesn't just apply to you, it applies to everyone.

Voltaire: "I disagree strongly with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."