Is this a way to defeat the hecklers’ veto?
I was thinking about the hecklers’ veto, and it occurred to me that the classic movie Casablanca might have an answer.
For many years, conservatives have been dealing with the hecklers’ veto. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it describes when someone, rather than countering speech with speech, silences speech with which he disagrees by screaming over the speaker. There are dozens of examples:
In one of the most disgraceful displays in recent memory, a 5th Circuit Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan was shouted down when he tried to speak to law students at Stanford. DEI Dean Angela Steinbach then appeared and lambasted Judge Duncan. https://t.co/htAFlELvaF
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) March 10, 2023
Now protestors storm the stage, shut down event. pic.twitter.com/t1BBU0Rh7a
— Carrie Lukas (@carrielukas) October 17, 2020
Here’s a video John Stossel did on the subject:
Why do campus protestors shut down conservative speakers?
In my latest video with @ManhattanInst’s @CityJournal, Heather Mac Donald blames the “diversity bureaucracy” pic.twitter.com/Pu4gdbsNKz
— John Stossel (@JohnStossel) February 22, 2020
Whenever this happens, even though it’s become predictable, conservatives stand there helplessly as they cannot be heard. So, as I said, I was thinking about fighting back. Obviously, every college that allows this should be sued into penury, but that’s a slow and costly process. I was trying to think of something more immediate.
What popped into my mind was this famous, wonderful scene from Casablanca:
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, the next time the leftist shrieking started, it turned out that the conservative speaker came prepared? I imagine the speaker pulling out his or her smartphone, turning the volume on as loudly as possible, sticking it right up to the microphone (also on top volume), and blasting the room with a patriotic song. Even better, those who came to hear the speech would sing along.
I like “God Bless America” because it’s so in your face with both faith and patriotism. And so you can envision what I’m talking about, I crudely reworked that scene from Casablanca. (I think it’s within the parameters of fair use.)
