Ben Shapiro writes for PJMedia.com about the acceptable bounds of speech.
Americans love arguing about free speech. We invoke the First Amendment as a kind of political force field: You can say whatever you want, whenever you want, without consequence.
But the First Amendment only restricts government action. It does not guarantee you a career, a platform or immunity from backlash. The real question is not whether certain speech is legal but rather what kind of speech deserves social consequences — and what kind doesn’t.
And if we’re talking about reckless political speech, we should talk about Jimmy Kimmel. Years ago, he abandoned comedy in favor of applause lines, tearful monologues and the occasional performance of empathy. He’s an unfunny late-night scold who treats half the country as a punchline.
As annoying as that is, being unfunny is not a crime. The bigger issue is when media figures cross the line from tastelessness into rhetoric that creates a permission structure for violence.
To understand the difference, it helps to break political speech into three categories.
First: illegal speech.
Yes, illegal political speech exists in America. A classic example: “I want to kill the president.” That’s not merely commentary. It is an actionable, direct threat. …
… Second: typical inflammatory rhetoric.
American politics is filled with heated language. “Fight like hell.” “We’re going to war with the other party.” That sort of rhetoric can be ugly and excessive, but it is also normal.
We’ve seen how absurd it becomes when people try to treat that as literal incitement. …
… Third: the permission structure for violence.
A permission structure for violence is created when people repeatedly portray political opponents as monsters.
This is how you create the mental environment where unstable people conclude that violence is justified. If the president is a traitor, rapist, pedophile and mastermind behind a corrupt system, then how else could he be stopped?
This kind of rhetoric leads directly to chaos.
It is also the kind of rhetoric Kimmel has trafficked in for years.
