Free speech? Evelyn Beatrice Hall had it right

I love Louis Theroux, and have religiously watched all of his documentaries, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed with his latest examination of ‘America’s most hated family’. Theroux first visited the Phelps of Kansas, who founded and run the utterly abhorrent Westboro Baptist Church in 2007; this documentary (BBC2, Sunday, 9pm) is their second meeting.

With unprecedented levels of bile and vitriol, the Phelps have made it their mission to tell the world just how angry and vengeful God is,  and just how much he hates gay people, anyone of another faith, or of another race. I can’t even begin to explain their absurd and offensive views, and quite how one is able to conjure up so much hatred toward another person is beyond me.

It does however, raise the interesting question of free speech and that famous quote from Evelyn Beatrice Hall, ‘’I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.’’ These words resonate especially when watching the Phelps, and their ilk, waving offensive placards and chanting shocking insults on small-town street corners, and the funerals of military personnel.

The legal question of free speech has become somewhat entwined with the moral question, as the Phelps experienced in a protracted Supreme Court battle with the family of a soldier killed in Iraq, over whether their demonstration at his funeral constitutes an expression of free speech (Snyder Vs Phelps).

As much as I hate these people, and what they stand for, you cannot mandate what someone puts on a sign, what words they speak or indeed what thoughts are in their mind. The minefield of what is offensive to some and isn’t to others is a never-ending discussion. The Supreme Court found 8-1 in the Phelps favour; an unprecedented level of consensus amongst the Supreme Court bench’s ideologues.

I am not for a second suggesting that their demonstration is right, decent, or acceptable; it is deplorable to me and the vast majority of observers.  But our society, and that of America, is a society founded on individual freedoms, and one where we fight to protect these rights both at home and internationally. So as galling as it may seem, the Phelps do have a right to express their opinions.

What one would hope for is that general human decency and sensibility would inspire some modicum of self-restraint in their behaviour. There is a time and place for expression of views, and the funeral of a young man isn’t one of them. I may hold views which are offensive to some, in fact I’m sure we all do; it’s the nature of the human race, we are all different, but most of know exactly when to bite our tongue.

Unfortunately the Phelps being the people they are, they haven’t quite mastered that subtle art of simple human decency. So although the legal outcome may sit at odds with our moral opinion, the fact of the Phelps existence is absolute. And while I certainly couldn’t bring myself to defend their rights, I leave that to the minds of the Supreme Court and Beatrice Hall, the best I can hope for is to laugh at them.

That old chestnut: in praise of the BBC

I’ve always had a soft spot for the BBC, I can’t help it. Despite the fact it has occasionally churned out some tosh (‘My Family’, ugh), and that recent Christmas programming seemed to have been entirely predicated on five hour long ‘Eastenders’ specials, the Beeb has been on a good run of form recently.

And thankfully, there are no adverts, which means hour-long shows are actually 60 minutes of broadcasting, not one hour of the actual show, and one hour of adverts, see ITV’s ‘Dancing on Ice’ Sunday night advertising marathon for proof…

Firstly, there have been some excellent documentaries over the past few weeks; including the return of the excellent Louis Theroux to the BBC, his expose of Ultra-Zionists in Israel made for jaw-dropping watching.

Andrew Neil’s investigation into the old boys club populated almost exclusively by public school alumni at the centre of British politics was pretty eye-opening too. And our public school kids got even more of a battering in a second documentary by Richard Bilton. ‘Who Gets the Best Jobs?’ was informative and stirring in equal measure. It seems what we all already suspected is true; that if you’re parents are rich, you went to a fee-paying school, and you can afford to work glamorous internships for nothing, you’re a shoe-in for a top job overseeing the great unwashed. Anyway, rant over, back to the programming.

I have to give a little thumbs up for Silent Witness too. Although occasionally requiring the suspension of disbelief, this series has been largely excellent, well acted and entertaining.

And finally, The Human Planet…brilliant, awe-inspiring stuff, the kind of thing the BBC does so well. This week’s episode featured jungle and rainforest dwelling tribes; and if you watched this show, you’ll know exactly what I mean when I say that was the most amazing tree house I have ever seen. I’ve been recommending this show to everyone I know.

And interestingly, I’ve been able to recommend The Human Planet online, through the much improved and much

The new BBC iPlayer layout

more social BBC iPlayer. The iPlayer’s facelift is very successful, its far easier to navigate, you can integrate your Twitter and Facebook accounts simply, can share and recommend what you’re watching or listening to, and more importantly, you can see what your friends are watching. It may have taken the BBC a while to catch on to what many of us already know, that we as individuals are far more likely to watch, listen, like or buy something that our friends are recommending to us, but they got there in the end.

My only niggle is that most of this good stuff seems to have been squirreled away on BBC2, but beggar’s can’t be choosers. So, a big well done to our favourite Auntie, I’m not even complaining about my licence fee this month!

The humble library is ‘Medicine for the soul’

I’m going to have a serious rant about libraries now; but beyond my geeky outrage there is a serious point to be made…

The inscription above the library entrance at Thebes read, ‘Medicine for the soul’, never a truer word was spoken. Reading this news that the BBC reported depressing bit of news this morning:

New Government figures show that the number of people who visit a library weekly has dropped by 32% in five years. More than 60% of us have not stepped foot in one in the last year.

I find this depressing because I am a library lover, a dying breed it seems. (As an aside, I hope students weren’t included in these figures, as they should definitely not be in that 60% who haven’t visited a library in the past year…)

The Library at Thebes

I love libraries, I love being in them, browsing the books, finding a chair and having a read, and I still go the library and get books out, even though I purchase books regularly too. One of the first things I did when I moved to Leeds (Sep 2008) was join the central and local libraries; perhaps because I always feel at home in a library wandering around the shelves. As a young child, at school and with my parents, we would visit the library every week, it was something we looked forward to and was encouraged. I’m sure there are families that still do this, but apparently not enough.

The death of the library is symptomatic of a larger problem; the anti-intellectual brigade, the waning concentration spans of younger generations, technological takeover, and general lack of love for the written word. I’ve already written about my dislike for the kindle, iPad et al, but this is something else. Libraries are not the hallowed halls of quiet reflection and study, but some sort of community centre, not solely for reading and researching, but meeting, and talking and generally being all things to all people. In an effort to attract a wildly uninterested youth, libraries have become computer and music stores, with coffee shops and meeting rooms. How are we going to take libraries seriously, and encourage love of reading and studying if libraries are losing their purpose?

I see nothing wrong with encouraging healthy reverence around books and in a library; libraries were always hallowed places when I was younger, no talking, no eating, and certainly no mobile phones, even the kids reading corner was whispered and hushed. Now modern libraries have kids sections with instruments (!), banks of computers right next to the books – where you can plug your headphones in and annoy everyone with your tinny music, stands in the lobby where people approach you with the latest community scheme, and talking is allowed, nay, encouraged! I firmly remember the stern glare from the librarian if you made a noise, ran anywhere, or generally were a little swine with an utter lack of respect.

Isnt there something to be said for encouraging kids to sit and read quietly, and absorb what they are reading? It’s good training for later life, for further study, for work, for concentrating, and simply, for learning something. Books teach you stuff kids!

And today’s worst library crime – mobile phones are allowed in certain areas. In my university library this meant the

The more 'modern' library...

lobby and stairwell areas. Doesn’t sound that bad you might say, but no one paid any attention to the rule. The majority of these well-educated young people just didn’t seem to get it and still answered a call at the top of their voice whilst strolling to the stairwell when they talked loudly enough for you to hear every word of conversation through the door. And the sound of vibrating mobile phones on desks all over the library haunts me. There were a fair number of brazen souls who would not even bother leaving their desk but just have a conversation right there, normally along the lines of:

“Are you in the library?! OMG! Me too! Wow, look at us, studying and stuff…I’ve been here ten minutes and I’m bored already. What floor are you on? OMG, get down here we can work together LOL…yeah bring Chloe! So glad you’re here too! Shall we go to the pub in a bit…”

So this probably warrants another post on students; but I’m not going to get started on that one right now…

I’m sure I sound cantankerous and unreasonable, but I just like a bit of quiet in the library….