Freedom of Speech

I found this article in yesterday's Entertainment Weekly fascinating for the hypocrisy it describes. It opens this way:

There is such a thing as bad publicity after all.

Creators of "Jerry Springer - The Opera," the musical that sparked outrage among conservative Christians when shown on British television, say protests and lobbying have dented ticket sales for a tour in what they call a blow to freedom of speech.

The entertainment industry's double-standard knows no bounds. In their eyes, freedom of speech applies only to themselves. They want to be allowed to produce shows that are offensive to Christians, and I don't have a problem with their right to do just that. But they complain that when Christians protest, the Christians are delivering a "blow to freedom of speech."

[T]he profanity-laden show...based on television host Jerry Springer's brash talk show, depicts Jesus being referred to as "a little bit gay" and features Eve attempting to fondle his genitals.

At least two Christian lobby groups, Christian Voice and the Christian Institute, have led a campaign against it, calling it gratuitously offensive and blasphemous.

They also argue that no one in Britain would dare put on a similar show depicting other religions in such an irreverent light.

The article later describes a time when someone did dare to put on a show about another religion:

Just over a year ago, a theater in the English city of Birmingham scrapped a play about a woman and her sick mother visiting a Sikh temple after hundreds of Sikhs gathered outside the playhouse and pelted it with stones.

When was the last time we heard about Christian protesters throwing stones?

The entertainers who scream the loudest to be allowed their own freedom of (offensive) speech are usually the ones who scream the loudest when the people they offend speak up. Theater owners can put on whatever shows they want to, but they're not guaranteed an audience.

Let the theater put on its Springer show. Let the protesters protest. And we'll see how long the show goes on.