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Quotations on Dissent 18 Quotes Found No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundrels. Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots. Here in America we are descended in blood and in spirit from revolutionists and rebels - men and women who dare to dissent from accepted doctrine. As their heirs, may we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion. In a democracy dissent is an act of faith. Like medicine, the test of its value is not in its taste, but in its effects. So now is the time, more than ever, for those who truly value all the principles of democracy, especially including dissent, to be the most forceful in speaking up, standing up and speaking out. Freedom is hammered out on the anvil of discussion, dissent, and debate. When a man fails to see the truth of certain generally accepted views, there is no law compelling him to provoke animosity by announcing his dissent. There are men - now in power in this country - who do not respect dissent, who cannot cope with turmoil, and who believe that the people of America are ready to support repression as long as it is done with a quiet voice and a business suit. We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition dies, I think the soul of America dies with it. We may be so eager to protect the right to dissent that we lose sight of the difference between dissent and subversion. It's so easy for propaganda to work, and dissent to be mocked. Science exists, moreover, only as a journey toward troth. Stifle dissent and you end that journey. It's much easier to make jokes about sensitive issues if there is some dissent, some conflict. Down through the centuries, this trick has been tried by various establishments throughout the world. They force people to get involved in the kind of examination that has only one aim and that is to stamp out dissent. Neither with those nor with the others, with all I agree and dissent; in all part of truth and part of error must be seen. Will dissent be permitted? The answer to that question will determine whether the society is a free society or a fear society. People may believe that there can be a society where dissent is not permitted, but which is nonetheless not a fear society because everyone agrees with one another and therefore no one wants to dissent. The corporate grip on opinion in the United States is one of the wonders of the Western world. No First World country has ever managed to eliminate so entirely from its media all objectivity - much less dissent. Throughout the lead-up to the war, CNN worked hard to air all sides of the story. We had a regular segment called Voices of Dissent in which we spent time covering antiwar protests and interviewing those who were opposed to the war with Iraq. |
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