In full: Rowan Atkinson on free speech

Summary

The speaker passionately advocates for the importance of free speech, ranking it second only to the basic need for sustenance. They express concern over the arrest of individuals for seemingly trivial offenses, highlighting the potential for laws to stifle dissent and create an authoritarian society. The speaker criticizes the 'new intolerance' and calls for more open dialogue, including the right to insult or offend, as a means to build societal immunity to offense and promote a robust, critical discourse.

Takeaways

• 🗣️ The speaker values free speech as the second most precious thing in life, after the necessity of food for survival.
• 🏠 The speaker expresses concern for those less privileged and more vulnerable to legal actions due to their lower public profile.
• 🚔 Examples given include arrests for seemingly trivial reasons, highlighting the potential absurdity of laws restricting free speech.
• 🎭 A connection is drawn between a past comedic sketch and current real-life scenarios, showing life imitating art in the context of free speech restrictions.
• 🚫 The speaker criticizes the use of laws to suppress free expression, especially when cases are dropped due to public ridicule rather than legal merit.
• 🤔 The speaker questions the effectiveness of laws that allow for the arrest and questioning of individuals for expressing opinions that could be seen as insulting.
• 📚 A reference to Parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights suggests that insulting language should not be criminalized.
• 🚨 The speaker argues that the outlawing of insult can lead to the interpretation of many forms of expression as such, including criticism, ridicule, and sarcasm.
• 🌐 The speaker sees a culture of authoritarian control and new intolerance emerging from well-intentioned laws meant to contain societal obnoxious elements.
• 💡 The speaker advocates for addressing underlying issues through dialogue rather than arrests, suggesting that more exposure to offensive speech can build societal immunity to taking offense.
• 📢 The speaker supports the idea that the best response to hateful speech is not repression but more speech, echoing President Obama's stance on the matter.
• 🛑 The speaker calls for the repeal of certain laws as a small but critical step towards reversing a culture of over-sensitivity and promoting robust dialogue.

Q & A

What is the speaker's most precious belief in life?

The speaker's most precious belief in life is the right to express oneself freely, just below the need for food in one's mouth to sustain life.

What are the speaker's concerns regarding free speech?

The speaker's concerns are less for themselves due to their high public profile and more for those who are more vulnerable due to their lower profiles, such as individuals arrested for seemingly trivial offenses related to free speech.

Can you provide an example of a ludicrous offense mentioned in the script?

An example of a ludicrous offense is the arrest of a man in Oxford for calling a police horse gay.

What fictional context does the speaker refer to when discussing free speech?

The speaker refers to a show called 'Not the Nine O'Clock News' where they performed a sketch about a racist police officer arresting people for ridiculous reasons, which mirrors real-life situations.

What is the issue with the current law that the speaker criticizes?

The issue with the current law is that it allows for the arrest and prosecution of individuals for merely insulting language or behavior, which can be broadly interpreted and lead to a chilling effect on free expression.

What does the speaker believe is the best way to increase society's resistance to insulting or offensive speech?

The speaker believes that the best way to increase society's resistance is to allow more of such speech, building immunity to taking offense, similar to how exposure to childhood diseases builds resistance.

What is the speaker's view on the statement 'I am only intolerant of intolerance'?

The speaker criticizes this statement as a replacement of one kind of intolerance with another, which does not represent progress and fails to address underlying prejudices and resentments.

What does the speaker suggest as the strongest weapon against hateful speech?

The speaker suggests that the strongest weapon against hateful speech is not repression but more speech, allowing for robust dialogue that includes the right to insult or offend.

What is the 'reform section 5 campaign' mentioned by the speaker?

The 'reform section 5 campaign' is a movement to reform or repeal section 5 of the Public Order Act, which allows for arrests based on speech that might be construed as insulting, in order to prevent the suppression of free speech.

How does the speaker describe the current culture of intolerance?

The speaker describes the current culture of intolerance as a new but intense desire to gag uncomfortable voices of dissent, created by a society that has become extraordinarily authoritarian and controlling.

What does the speaker suggest as a priority in dealing with free speech issues?

The speaker suggests that the priority should be to deal with the message, not the messenger, focusing on addressing the issues raised by free speech rather than suppressing the speech itself.