Right to Free Speech Meaningless Because It Doesn't Help???

... the mountain of history books under which we all stand leans ... so tremblingly respectful [in the direction] of states and statesmen and so disrespectful, by inattention, to people's movements-that we need some counterforce to avoid being crushed into submission.

All those histories of this country centered on the Founding Fathers and the Presidents weigh oppressively on the capacity of the ordinary citizen to act. They suggest that in times of crisis we must look to someone to save us: in the Revolutionary crisis, the Founding Fathers; in the slavery crisis, Lincoln; in the Depression, Roosevelt; in the Vietnam-Water gate crisis, Carter. And that between occasional crises everything is all right, and it is sufficient for us to be restored to that normal state. They teach us that the supreme act of citizenship is to choose among saviors, by going into a voting booth every four years to choose between two white and well-off Anglo-Saxon males of inoffensive personality and orthodox opinions.

The idea of saviors has been built into the entire culture, beyond politics. We have learned to look to stars, leaders, experts in every field, thus surrendering our own strength, demeaning our own ability, obliterating our own selves. But from time to time, iAmericans reject that idea and rebel. These rebellions, so far, have been contained. The American system is the most ingenious system of control in world history. With a country so rich in natural resources, talent, and labor power the system can afford to distribute just enough wealth to just enough people to limit discontent to a troublesome minority. It is a country so powerful, so big, so pleasing to so many of its citizens that it can afford to give freedom of dissent to the small number who are not pleased.

Have you ever read a Peoples History of the United States by Howard Zinn? It's a great book. It's not a USA Bashing book at all. It just includes peoples accounts of history as well as official stories.

you can read some online chapters, where I got these paragraphs from here: www.thirdworldtraveler.com...
for the exact paragraphs I quoted look here www.thirdworldtraveler.com...

Do you agree with the Saviour mentality he speaks about? Does it have roots from Christianity from old Europe and the Holy Roman Chatolic Church & Empire?

I agree with the part America is able to give the minorities the ability to speak freely because it won't damage the system at all. People can rant and rave all they want and free speech never changes a thing. Or does it?

[edit on 8-3-2005 by 00PS]

[edit on 8-3-2005 by 00PS]