# Dr. Laura wants her first amendment rights back... **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 18, 2010, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594 "2010-08-18T01:27:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594/281 "2010-08-23T12:31:17Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > > [@Bricker](#): > > > > But the caller does not get to unilaterally dictate social convention. > > Nor do the rappers and gang bangers. Just because some social malcontents use it does not make it a social convention. The caller certainly can dictate the conventions of the call, and should not be held responsible in that context for a racial epithet used by those beyond her control. No, actually, it’s typically the radio host that dictates the conventions of a caller’s call. However, I certainly agree it’s unbelievably rude to subject an unwilling recipient to that word. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594/282 "2010-08-23T12:52:09Z")
> [@Cosmic Relief](#): > > I know at the level of the Constitution we’re dealing with what the branches of government can or can’t do, but then there’s also the associated trickle-down that states can’t do what isn’t constitutional, and I would think along those lines that that would pretty clearly make it impossible for states to allow one citizen to violate the civil rights of another. **I guess at that point it would boil down to non-constitutional law - i.e. you can’t smash my printing press because it’s my property, you can’t kill me because murder is illegal, but still.** I think it’s the Constitution that guarantees free speech indirectly. (Bolding mine) But as has been stated previously, if your opponents do NOT take any action to cause, incite or advocate the destruction of your printing press or person, but merely organize a boycott petition, then there is no crime or violation of your rights. (HOWEVER if it were to be shown that there was a \*\*\*collusion \*\*\*by distributors, station managers, suppliers, etc. to “strangle” you out of the market, then there could potentially be a cause of action.) I think that the theme in **this** thread is that in the case of Dr. Laura (or the Dixie Chicks or whoever), the events that lead to her own withdrawal from the airwaves are NOT an act of _constitutionally-forbidden “censorship”_ (or are at most self-censorship). They were an act of private-market economic pressure, which you’re NOT presumed insulated from; the burden shifts upon you to prove something nefarious is up. In the case of the Park 51 Islamic Center, the petitioners/protestors **were _seeking action from the government_** : they wanted zoning permits to be denied (or retracted if already in effect) even though they complied with the usual legal requirements. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594/283 "2010-08-23T13:20:58Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > > [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > > > Nor do the rappers and gang bangers. Just because some social malcontents use it does not make it a social convention. The caller certainly can dictate the conventions of the call, and should not be held responsible in that context for a racial epithet used by those beyond her control. > > No, actually, it’s typically the radio host that dictates the conventions of a caller’s call. Then it is extemely rude for a host to hold a caller responsible for what others say. If Dr. Laura wants to hang out with rappers and gang bangers, then it might be justified. But to repeat it over and over on a radio broadcast with a caller who denounces the use of the word cannot be excused by saying, “but the other kids are saying it, Ma!” ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594/284 "2010-08-23T13:35:32Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Then it is extemely rude for a host to hold a caller responsible for what others say. Wow, I wish I’d thought to say that. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594/285 "2010-08-23T14:25:32Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I won’t use the word, because I think it’s ugly beyond belief. But that doesn’t erase the fact that many African Americans, from many different careers and walks of like, do not consider the use of the word an insult in every circumstance. That is a distinction that people should be able to address. This idea that only “nigger” is somehow dependent on context is impossibly infuriating. I can call someone I know and like an “idiot” with affection. But if I call a stranger or my boss an “idiot,” there will be repercussions. My boyfriend can call me “baby.” My boss or doctor can’t call me “baby.” Context is everything. It always has been. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594/286 "2010-08-23T16:07:41Z")
Laura got taken off before her critics could mount a response to her racism. It was very quick. Somebody in power reacted rapidly. It was not her critics, who do not have the power to remove her show. I suppose it was sponsors. I do not feel sorry for her. She was making a point about the use of “nigger”. But she did it badly. There was no way to backtrack . ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594/287 "2010-08-23T16:39:59Z")
She didn’t even really have a point. about the use of the word. She wasn’t trying to argue that black people shouldn’t say it (which is hackneyed and lame, but still resembles a meaningful point), she was trying to say it wasn’t racist for white people to say it (and to say it as an insult, not academically), which is idiotic. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594/288 "2010-08-23T18:55:01Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Laura got taken off before her critics could mount a response to her racism. It was very quick. Somebody in power reacted rapidly. It was not her critics, who do not have the power to remove her show. I suppose it was sponsors. I do not feel sorry for her. She was making a point about the use of “nigger”. But she did it badly. There was no way to backtrack . She took HERSELF off, IIRC. Dr. Laura is her own boss, and she made the decision to quit. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594/289 "2010-08-23T19:45:39Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > > [@Bricker](#): > > > > I won’t use the word, because I think it’s ugly beyond belief. But that doesn’t erase the fact that many African Americans, from many different careers and walks of like, do not consider the use of the word an insult in every circumstance. That is a distinction that people should be able to address. > > This idea that only “nigger” is somehow dependent on context is impossibly infuriating. > > I can call someone I know and like an “idiot” with affection. But if I call a stranger or my boss an “idiot,” there will be repercussions. > > My boyfriend can call me “baby.” My boss or doctor can’t call me “baby.” > > Context is everything. It always has been. Of course. But we don’t made classifications that divide people by occupation, or by dating status. This classification appears to divide people by race, and is thus regarded as suspect. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594/290 "2010-08-23T23:52:01Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > This idea that only “nigger” is somehow dependent on context is impossibly infuriating. Infuriatingly stupid, is more like it. I really wish someone would walk up to me and call me a nigger because “Kanye does it!”. That level of idiocy is something I’ve only read about in textbooks and message boards. Never seen it in the wild. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594/291 "2010-08-24T00:02:31Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > > [@jsgoddess](#): > > > > This idea that only “nigger” is somehow dependent on context is impossibly infuriating. > > Infuriatingly stupid, is more like it. > > I really wish someone would walk up to me and call me a nigger because “Kanye does it!”. That level of idiocy is something I’ve only read about in textbooks and message boards. Never seen it in the wild. I hear it happens on the radio, too. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594/292 "2010-08-24T00:06:51Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > But we don’t made classifications that divide people by occupation, or by dating status. This classification appears to divide people by race, and is thus regarded as suspect. You’ve never heard [gay men](http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2010/06/22/anything-is-possible-through-god)refer to each as “queens” without the offensive baggage implicit with the term when straights use it? You’ve never heard women calling themselves [“bitches”](http://www.heartless-bitches.com/rants/feminist.shtml) affectionately, in a way that a man could never pull off without stinking up the room? [Jewish kids](http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-heeb.htm)are going around calling themselves “heebs”. I guess we should we all jump on the bandwagon, right? Can’t wait until kike gets its turn because it’ll be fun times then! ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594/293 "2010-08-24T00:29:20Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > > [@Bricker](#): > > > > But we don’t made classifications that divide people by occupation, or by dating status. This classification appears to divide people by race, and is thus regarded as suspect. > > You’ve never heard [gay men](http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2010/06/22/anything-is-possible-through-god)refer to each as “queens” without the offensive baggage implicit with the term when straights use it? > > You’ve never heard women calling themselves [“bitches”](http://www.heartless-bitches.com/rants/feminist.shtml) affectionately, in a way that a man could never pull off without stinking up the room? > > [Jewish kids](http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-heeb.htm)are going around calling themselves “heebs”. I guess we should we all jump on the bandwagon, right? Can’t wait until kike gets its turn because it’ll be fun times then! Yes, yes, and yes. I have seen or heard all these things. And your point is…? ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594/294 "2010-08-24T00:32:59Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > I really wish someone would walk up to me and call me a nigger because “Kanye does it!”. What if it is an African-American in the above scenario (we already got from the pretentious nature of the statement above that you are also African-American)? Let me guess, you would go all Bill Cosby on him, eh? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594/295 "2010-08-24T00:39:04Z")
> [@newcomer](#): > > > [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > > > I really wish someone would walk up to me and call me a nigger because “Kanye does it!”. > > What if it is an African-American in the above scenario (we already got from the pretentious nature of the statement above that you are also African-American)? Uh… what? ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594/296 "2010-08-24T00:42:25Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > > [@newcomer](#): > > > > What if it is an African-American in the above scenario (we already got from the pretentious nature of the statement above that you are also African-American)? > > Uh… what? I think the question is clear. And… Uh… Is not meant for you. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594/297 "2010-08-24T00:45:51Z")
> [@newcomer](#): > > > [@jsgoddess](#): > > > > Uh… what? > > I think the question is clear. And… Uh… Is not meant for you. You glean from the pretentious nature of her statement that she’s black? What the fuck does that even mean? ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594/298 "2010-08-24T00:55:14Z")
I was at the hardware store last year, and two African-American employees were stocking the shelves and casually chatting back and forth, using the n-word. I thought it was highly inappropriate for a work environment. Apparently, somebody else did too. There was an African-American customer nearby, and I could tell he was livid. He went and found a manager. I didn’t stick around to see what happened. The word does not belong in the vast majority of work environments. Dr. Laura is a mental health professional, and it’s not appropriate for a mental health professional to use inflammatory language like that when counseling someone. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594/299 "2010-08-24T00:58:02Z")
> [@BrightNShiny](#): > > I was at the hardware store last year, and two African-American employees were stocking the shelves and casually chatting back and forth, using the n-word. Pretentiously, right? That’s how you knew they were black? ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594/300 "2010-08-24T01:18:20Z")
> [@newcomer](#): > > What if it is an African-American in the above scenario (we already got from the pretentious nature of the statement above that you are also African-American)? I’m a 33 year-old black woman born and raised in Atlanta, currently living in Baltimore, used to commute to DC on a daily basis, and never–not once–has anyone called me a “nigger”. Black or white, Asian, or Latino. So if a black person did that and justified it by blaming Kanye (as I stated in my hypothetical), he’d go right into the infuriatingly stupid pile along with anyone else. What someone else does has no bearing on what I deserve to have done to me. This is just plain common sense to anyone who understands that black people are individuals, not a collective hivemind. You and others are riled up because blacks can say “nigger” without looking like Klan members while whites can not pull that off as gracefully. This, in a nutshell, is all this is about. If it still hasn’t dawned on you how stupid this debate is, I can not help you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-laura-wants-her-first-amendment-rights-back/550594.md?page=16)