BAD PRAISE
“America’s slide into the sewer is greased by praise. Yes, praise. When journalism flinches from presenting the raw reality, and instead says only that 2 Live Crew’s lyrics are ‘explicit’ and ‘controversial’ and ‘provocative,’ there is an undertone of approval. Antonyms of those adjectives are ‘vague’ and ‘bland’ and ‘unchallenging.’ America today is capable of terrific intolerance about smoking, or toxic waste that threatens trout. But only a deeply confused society is more concerned about protecting lungs than minds, trout than black women. We legislate against smoking in restaurants; but singing ‘Me So Horny’ is a constitutional right. ‘Words,’ said Aristotle, ‘are what set human beings, the language-using animals, above lower animals.’ Not necessarily.” By George F. Will, Pulitzer Prize winning author in Newsweek June 29, 1992
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