Kaminer’s assertion that even the most egregious sexist speech can’t be equated with incitement to violence brought me this reaction from Robin Morgan, one of the authors of the CNN.com op ed calling upon the FCC to investigate whether Limbaugh crossed the line into obscenity or incitement: He should be taken off the airwaves for fomenting a culture of objectification and dehumanization that has tangible consequences for real women. Limbaugh shouldn’t be taken off public airwaves because I dislike what he said. When Kaminer charged that those advocating FCC action against Limbaugh believe “freedom of speech should be limited to speech that they like or only mildly dislike,” she lost sight of the incident’s real meaning. “Crude, sexist insults” seems a euphemism at best. After he called Sandra Fluke the gendered slur, “slut,” after calling the 30-year-old law student a “prostitute,” he declared Fluke should post sex tapes of herself on the Internet in exchange for her birth control coverage. Hypothetical are easy, but let’s recall Limbaugh’s actual language. Kaminer also acknowledges legitimate limits on speech, whether or not the words may break our bones she says: “he Supreme Court has carved out categories of speech excluded from First Amendment protections, such as obscenity, libel, and incitement to violence.”
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