theinwardlight:Blessed are the Peacemakers (1917), by George Bellows The anti-free-speech saying &am
theinwardlight:Blessed are the Peacemakers (1917), by George Bellows The anti-free-speech saying “you can’t shout ‘fire!’ in a crowded theater” is a common misquote from a Supreme Court decision, Schenck v. United States (1919), in which noted evildoer Oliver Wendell Holmes upheld the conviction of Socialist anti-war activists whose “crime” was encouraging resistance to the draft. Holmes likened their anti-draft leaflets to “falsely shouting fire in a theatre and causing a panic,” in that both would create a “clear and present danger” of some sort.Given the timing, this cartoon is likely a direct response to Charles Schenck and Elizabeth Baer’s unjust arrest. Schenck was a bad and stupid decision, and while not overturned has basically been superseded by Brandenburg v. Ohio. Regard anyone using “fire in a crowded theatre” with deep suspicion; it’s likely they don’t know its origins, but that in itself is cause for concern. -- source link