Freedom of Speech at risk?

Just came across this today. What's your take?

YouTube - Freedom Under Fire: U.N. Anti-Blasphemy Resolution - With Christopher Hitchens

It's a UN resolution, which means it has absolutely zero effect on essentially anybody. ;P

Haha yeah, as true as it is.. They're still going try and "get other countries" to adopt it into their laws, which would in turn affect us.

CNN - who the heck watches that nonsense?

I remember reading somewhere once that it's not so much a matter of free speech as free listening these days, but I can't remember where I read it as it was a long time ago.

Anyway, I thought it was an interesting perspective. I'm not sure if I agree with it though.

DarkArt said:

Haha yeah, as true as it is.. They're still going try and "get other countries" to adopt it into their laws, which would in turn affect us.

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Practically every other country in the world has more restrictions on free speech than the US. I somehow doubt this latest boondoggle by the UN is going to have any sort of effect on our free speech laws.

The UN cant do this! its wrong.

Kash said:

Practically every other country in the world has more restrictions on free speech than the US.

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Care to provide proof of that? Everything I've read argues the contrary. See this for example. Simply because it is enshrined in the supreme piece of legislation for the US (as it is in other countries, Canada being one of them) doesn't make it pervasive through every institution in the land.

As for the video, and I will keep this as civil as I can, the argument, should it have been interpreted properly, is ludicrous. As an staunch atheist, I can't believe that regulations like this can even be considered. Then again, I'm glad that international law is unenforceable and therefore meaningless.

EDIT: Here are more up to date results for the previously supplied data.

I will discriminate against whoever I darn well please, however I darn well please.

What a lot of fear mongering over nothing

Bear in mind the resolution calls on governments to enact laws, so while the piece talks of American citizens being prosecuted, it doesn't stress that it's simply not going to happen

The anchor man is also keen to underline that the nations behind it are all Muslim and not democracies, the only country the female reporter mentions is Pakistan, the anchor then reaffirms that the backers are not democracies again (he is obviously not aware that Pakistan recently had a general election)

There is nothing to worry about since no nation can be forced to enact laws, especially ones that conflict with its constitution

louishen said:

There is nothing to worry about since no nation can be forced to enact laws, especially ones that conflict with its constitution

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My point exactly - international law is unenforceable on member nation-states. I know a few examples where the Canadian gov't has rejected UN orders because they didn't agree.

This is the media doing what it does best - sensationalizing that which is trivial.

louishen said:

The anchor man is also keen to underline that the nations behind it are all Muslim and not democracies, the only country the female reporter mentions is Pakistan, the anchor then reaffirms that the backers are not democracies again (he is obviously not aware that Pakistan recently had a general election)

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I noticed that as well. He asked how many were not democracies, she said she doesn't know, only mentioning one country. Then he affirms they, collectively, are not democracies. Typical slant political journalism at it's best.

The thing is that you can't legislate people into being nice and getting along, just like you can't legislate people to be good and honest. We try really hard, passing new laws all the time, but it just doesn't work that way.

This idea is a very slippery slope, because eventually you can interpret anything into having religious ties. Eventually you wouldn't be able to criticize anything.

Anyway, it doesn't really matter because nothing will come of it.