The Short Life and Curious Death of Free Speech in America
- ISBN-10
- 0062999737
- ISBN-13
- 9780062999733
- Category
- Political Science
- Pages
- 208
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2020-09-15
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Author
- Ellis Cose
Description
Named one of Newsweek’s "25 Must-Read Fall Fiction and Nonfiction Books to Escape the Chaos of 2020" The critically acclaimed journalist and bestselling author of The Rage of a Privileged Class explores one of the most essential rights in America—free speech—and reveals how it is crumbling under the combined weight of polarization, technology, money and systematized lying in this concise yet powerful and timely book. Free speech has long been one of American's most revered freedoms. Yet now, more than ever, free speech is reshaping America’s social and political landscape even as it is coming under attack. Bestselling author and critically acclaimed journalist Ellis Cose wades into the debate to reveal how this Constitutional right has been coopted by the wealthy and politically corrupt. It is no coincidence that historically huge disparities in income have occurred at times when moneyed interests increasingly control political dialogue. Over the past four years, Donald Trump’s accusations of “fake news,” the free use of negative language against minority groups, “cancel culture,” and blatant xenophobia have caused Americans to question how far First Amendment protections can—and should—go. Cose offers an eye-opening wholly original examination of the state of free speech in America today, litigating ideas that touch on every American’s life. Social media meant to bring us closer, has become a widespread disseminator of false information keeping people of differing opinions and political parties at odds. The nation—and world—watches in shock as white nationalism rises, race and gender-based violence spreads, and voter suppression widens. The problem, Cose makes clear, is that ordinary individuals have virtually no voice at all. He looks at the danger of hyper-partisanship and how the discriminatory structures that determine representation in the Senate and the electoral college threaten the very concept of democracy. He argues that the safeguards built into the Constitution to protect free speech and democracy have instead become instruments of suppression by an unfairly empowered political minority. But we can take our rights back, he reminds us. Analyzing the experiences of other countries, weaving landmark court cases together with a critical look at contemporary applications, and invoking the lessons of history, including the Great Migration, Cose sheds much-needed light on this cornerstone of American culture and offers a clarion call for activism and change.
Get the book
Other editions
Similar books
-
Democracy, If We Can Keep It: The ACLU’s 100-Year Fight for Rights in America
By Ellis CoseA vivid work of history and journalism, Democracy, If We Can Keep It is not just the definitive story of the ACLU but also an essential account of America's rediscovery of rights it had granted but long denied.
-
The French and Indian War
By Andrew SantellaProvides a history of the French and Indian War, discussing battles, key figures, and the impact.
-
Bone to Pick: Of Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Reparation, and Revenge
By Ellis CoseDraws on the insights of relationship experts in the fields of psychiatry and law as well as the experiences of individuals who have had to overcome or accept emotional pain, offering perspectives on the power of moving past pain and ...
-
Is Free Speech Racist?
By Gavan TitleyIs Free Speech Racist? moves away from recurring debates about the limits of speech to instead examine how the principle of free speech is marshalled in today’s multicultural and intensively mediated societies.
-
Moyers on Democracy
By Bill MoyersBut he is also one of America's most sought-after public speakers. In this collection of speeches, Moyers celebrates the promise of American democracy and offers a passionate defense of its principles of fairness and justice.
-
The Rage of a Privileged Class: Why Do Prosperouse Blacks Still Have the Blues?
By Ellis CoseA controversial and widely heralded look at the race-related pain and anger felt by the most respected, best educated, and wealthiest members of the black community.
-
Ontology and Metaontology: A Contemporary Guide
By Francesco Berto, Matteo PlebaniThe guide's modular structure allows for a flexible approach to the subject, making it suitable for both undergraduates and postgraduates looking to better understand and apply the exciting developments and debates taking place in ontology ...
-
The Second Civil War: How Extreme Partisanship Has Paralyzed Washington and Polarized America
By Ronald BrownsteinIn The Second Civil War, respected political commentator Ronald Brownstein diagnoses the electoral, demographic, and institutional forces that have wreaked such change over the American political landscape, pulling politics into the margins ...
-
Free Speech and Liberal Education: A Plea for Intellectual Diversity and Tolerance
By Cato InstituteFree Speech and Liberal Education examines the empirical, philosophical, and remedial dimensions of the battle over free speech and academic freedom in American higher education today.
-
The Free Speech Century
By Geoffrey R. Stone, Lee C. BollingerIn The Free Speech Century, two of America's leading First Amendment scholars, Lee C. Bollinger and Geoffrey R. Stone, have gathered a group of the nation's leading constitutional scholars--Cass Sunstein, Lawrence Lessig, Laurence Tribe, ...