In a 2005 “60 Minutes” interview with Mike Wallace that makes the rounds every now and then, Morgan Freeman argued against the concept of Black History Month, which some people might find shocking, or at least surprising. Is it surprising because Morgan Freeman is Black? Freeman was prepared for that too. Freeman said, “I don’t want a Black History Month. Black history is American history,” in response to Wallace not wanting a Jewish history month for being Jewish (dodging the idea of a white history month). Wallace then asked how we will “get rid of racism,” to which Freeman replied, “Stop talking about it.” Freeman then adds, “I’m going to stop calling you a white man and I’m going to ask you to stop calling me a Black man.” Further along he states, “I know you as Mike Wallace. You know me as Morgan Freeman.” The question that Freeman leaves up in the air is not so much free speech, but rather the question of whether one day we will be able to see beyond race in at least American society. Just as significantly, there shouldn’t be an issue whether Wallace said what Freeman did himself either.

It shares relation to an interview where Neil deGrasse Tyson once argued that he aspires to be seen as simply an astrophysicist on television, rather than a Black astrophysicist on television. One thing remains clear: both Tyson and Freeman used speech in the media to advocate the points they’re entitled to and allow it to sink into the public discourse.

Take a more recent example, where Jon Stewart went at it with a Republican state senator from Oklahoma for his program, where both could essentially say as they please, and they certainly did, eventually feeding it into the public discourse. We are given the liberty of discovering what makes sense and why, when people are allowed to discuss things as they see fit. This just happens to be one of the major ways we make progress in the legal world.

For those who wish for another avenue of thought, you might be aware of Carl Sagan’s renowned saying, “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” This is a feeling that has permeated present public discourse or, depending how you think, something that the world is currently lacking. Social advancement is derived from competition and discourse and the freedom to exercise ideas allows us to explore the realm of consequences. If people didn’t push boundaries, we wouldn’t even be encouraged to think the way we do now. Exposure induces learning for all parties involved, which also serves as an important reminder: sometimes we need to get things wrong in order to learn at all, and that goes for discourse too.

H.P. Lovecraft infamously owned a cat named after the n-word, who, like many historical figures, presents himself as a product of his time. Keep in mind that you don’t have to approve of Lovecraft or even cancel him, but you do have the ability to “do better” and not name your cat in the same fashion. Perhaps someone reading this article has a cat with the same name and they certainly have the right to, while those who are against it can simply not think about it. Ultimately, the right for Lovecraft to exercise his verbal freedom in his own home would have to be respected regardless. One must also acknowledge that behavior cannot be reformed if the raw dealings of an individual are not let out in the first place. After all, this is where learning comes from.

Furthermore, with Daryl Davis’ wonderful visit last week, his adventures suggest that we must allow those we consider racist (or otherwise) to exercise their full scope of feelings verbally because it helps with the five core values he established that are necessary in order to be productive with someone. People can get the help they need but it often appears to be that those who want to help such people (or may

appear to have that desire) can end up getting in the way. For example, police reform is not encouraged by trying to burn down “Cop City” in Atlanta’s suburbs. There is no argument on our campus’ side of things, at least for saying racism is bad. But if the right for someone to say something is infringed, they will become significantly less approachable. We have been rolling into a dangerous point in our collective culture where people feel that they cannot even share more basic thoughts in public discourse without fearing repercussions or forgetting about something that might potentially be racist—though those in the latter tend to never have a problem doing so. Extremism develops when people at the median are antagonized enough to slide across the scale to an edge, and thus people find home in things we consider extreme because out there they have the chance to discuss things freely and openly as they please. Along the way, they can be corrupted from the form they once retained, providing more obstacles to rehabilitation, should it be possible for that individual. While it may seem “out there,” everything is connected.

In the late 1980s, Dave Mustaine and Megadeth were touring Europe, and in one concert in Northern Ireland, he drunkenly argued the next song was dedicated to “the cause” and that Ireland should be “given back to the Irish.” As one might imagine, the Catholic and Protestant attendees split into their respective groups, and chaos ensued. Megadeth was then evacuated with a bulletproof vest, and the issue provided inspiration for one of their best-known hits, “Holy Wars… the Punishment Due.” In the end, Mustaine could say what he said every day of the week if he wanted to and it’s perfectly legal in the realm of free speech, as it should be in countries like the U.S. and beyond. He also had a point at the time, which arguably transcends to the present, that Northern Ireland simply needs to grow up (go figure, I just wielded freedom of speech myself). If you dare think about it, Catholics and Protestants get along in every other country without issue, and somehow Northern Ireland has the right to manufacture that relationship into an issue. Maybe that doesn’t do the history of the Isles justice, but at least we can take solace in knowing that progress has been made at least in The Troubles being over. Other issues can be over too, if we’re willing to approach them the right way.