Etcetera #8: The Ethics Of Protesting

It's no secret that tensions are rising in the United States. Hardly a week goes by without another march, another protest, another shouting match (or physical fight), another cry against injustice in some fashion. These clashes often seem to generate a lot more heat than light. Is it possible to navigate our way through these skirmishes in a way that productively leads us toward truth, justice, reconciliation and peace, or are we stuck with simply shouting and posturing until the loudest or strongest side wins?

In this episode, we start by talking about the recent controversy in Traverse City involving the replicas of Columbus's ships before addressing Charlottesville and other places where clashes over civil and human rights have been front and center in the news. We offer a starting conversation on a complex subject, but we hope it can contribute in some fashion to a cultural move toward truth, justice, reconciliation and peace.

As always, you can listen to this podcast on Soundcloud; we also encourage you to become part of the conversation by posting thoughts on this page or on our Facebook page. Meanwhile, here are some links that will further your search for truth on this subject.    

• "Your Right To Free Speech." aclu.org
• "What Does Free Speech Mean?" uscourts.gov
• "What Is Symbolic Speech? When Is It Protected?" landmarkcases.org
• "What Is Antifa?" economist.com
• "Causing Harm." ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu
• "When Are Violent Protests Justified?" New York Times
• "Yes, White Supremacists Have The Right To Demonstrate. Here's Why It's Protected."elitedaily.com
• "The Misguided Attacks on ACLU for Defending Neo-Nazis’ Free Speech Rights in Charlottesville." the intercept.com
• "The Good News About Nazis." politico.com