Call me old-fashioned, but I find it offensive when people heckle the U.S. president. If you Google the words “Obama and hecklers” you’ll find a long list of links to stories and videos of President Obama dealing with hecklers. And just to be clear, I’m talking about the dictionary’s meaning of “heckler” — someone who tries to embarrass you with gibes and questions and objections.
To be a politician, of course, means having to deal with hecklers. And in a democracy, all people have the right to freedom of speech. The U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, but even U.S. Supreme Court justices will disagree on what that means exactly in some of the cases that come before them. I’m not a lawyer, but it seems that “freedom of speech” should be used to express ideas, exchange ideas and encourage two-way conversation. Typically, hecklers just want to voice their dissent – and dissent, too, is an essential element of democracy.
So my point is: Freedom of speech and freedom to dissent doesn’t guarantee that other people will hear or understand your message. And my question is: What is the best way to get your message across to those in power?
No method of reaching a message to Obama can succeed unless he is inclined to receive it.
To be connected to the grass roots is a pre-requisite for a good leader in democracy. If the vast state apparatus at his or her disposal can not guarantee accessibility then nothing can.
Heckling could be more a problem of perception of those excessively zealous about the status of their boss. To a protester it might just be anxiety to be heard
in plainspeak.
one issue abou Freedom of Speech element of democracy. politician, of course, means having to deal with hecklers. And in a democracy, all people
have the right to freedom of speech.
for me as a citizen we rather help and support our president. what ever happened if you want your country or city to be successful, the people needs to help one another.
Yeah, Hecklers can be annoying at times, but mainly because they are only seeing one side of the issue (theirs).
If they were more open minding about and actually wanted to argue the points or elements of the issue in a debate format where both parties are able to express how and why they may not agree with each other, I think this would lead to stimulation and finding the best course of action. Just saying someone is wrong because you feel they are doesn’t prove or disprove anything, you need facts to back up your beliefs.
Jitendra, Thank you for starting a debate on the issue of hecklers. I selected your comment to be our featured quote for this week. It now appears on the front page of Blogs at America.gov: http://blogs.america.gov/
I agree with you.