In recent weeks, America has suffered two major episodes that have called for a re-examination of the First Amendment and how it deals with censorship. Though on the surface, an art show and a Ku Klux Klan protest seem to share no parallel, the nation was thrown into an uproar over what is to be expected and what is to be protected by the First Amendment.
Now in an era as free and open-minded as this, the real question is why there was an uproar in the first place. The First Amendment is nothing to be compromised. The New York art show is a great example of this. Though a work of art may be questionable, who are we to decide the artist's First Amendment rights do not apply? As hard as it is to accept, we cannot legally limit basic human rights on the grounds of offensiveness.Though opposition to the demonstration by Ku Klux Klan members was greatly understandable, Americans would have violated the rights of the KKK by not allowing protest permits. Ironically enough, the ACLU has come to the defense of the Ku Klux Klan many times on instances such as this. Though many Americans are reluctant to stand up for the rights of such infamous and offensive organizations as the KKK, we must realize the Constitution stands for all Americans not just those who agree with us.