Despite Salman Rushdie being stabbed ten to fifteen times in a vicious attack in New York; he’s on the road to recovery. He's 75 years old. At that age, visits to the hospital are usually after a nasty tumble, never mind stab wounds. What a soldier.
On the BBC, according to his son Zafar Rushdie, Salman’s sense of humour was undiminished. I love that. How apposite. The man’s humour and irony set in opposition to the mirthless demented fanatism of his assailant.
Salman Rushdie really is a hero. His steadfast defiance to persevere against fanaticism and absolutism has to be a towering inspiration for people who may be persecuted for their non-conformity.
The way I see it, the right to offend is an indispensable component of free speech. But today, we live in a world where expressing an unwelcome opinion publicly, or, as in this case, even telling a story, can make you a target. The focus is not the art, but the artist; it’s not the argument, but the speaker. The protection of artistic and literary freedoms should be paramount; but, in practice, finding something ‘offensive’ is generally enough for its prohibition.
The principle of free speech ought to be a worthwhile and valuable aspect of our culture and life. So, it really extends way beyond the confines of government. As we know, free speech exists as a creature of legal right, but it’s a cultural heritage, writ large. It is our civic duty to try to engage with other people in good faith and to listen to their points of view and their arguments, and to ensure that we grant people the benefit of the doubt and opportunity to express themselves.
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