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The Case Against Free Speech: The First Amendment, Fascism, and the Future of Dissent Hardcover – August 13, 2019

by PE Moskowitz (Author)

4.1 48 ratings

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A hard-hitting expose that shines a light on the powerful conservative forces that have waged a multi-decade battle to hijack the meaning of free speech--and how we can reclaim it.

There's a critical debate taking place over one of our most treasured rights: free speech. We argue about whether it's at risk, whether college students fear it, whether neo-Nazis deserve it, and whether the government is adequately upholding it.

But as P. E. Moskowitz provocatively shows in The Case Against Free Speech, the term has been defined and redefined to suit those in power, and in recent years, it has been captured by the Right to push their agenda. What's more, our investment in the First Amendment obscures an uncomfortable truth: free speech is impossible in an unequal society where a few corporations and the ultra-wealthy bankroll political movements, millions of voters are disenfranchised, and our government routinely silences critics of racism and capitalism.

Weaving together history and reporting from Charlottesville, Skokie, Standing Rock, and the college campuses where student protests made national headlines, Moskowitz argues that these flash points reveal more about the state of our democracy than they do about who is allowed to say what.

Our current definition of free speech replicates power while dissuading dissent, but a new ideal is emerging. In this forcefully argued, necessary corrective, Moskowitz makes the case for speech as a tool--for exposing the truth, demanding equality, and fighting for all our civil liberties.

Print length

272 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Bold Type Books
Publication date

August 13, 2019
Dimensions

6.55 x 1.2 x 9.75 inches
ISBN-10

156858864X
ISBN-13

978-1568588643
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"In The Case Against Free Speech P. E. Moskowitz offers a radical and necessary intervention. Exposing liberal myths with intellectual acuity, anti-fascist commitment, and dedicated reporting, Moskowitz demands we address what current free speech discourse ignores: power. I'm delighted that this book exists."―Natasha Lennard, author of Being Numerous

"Moskowitz's provocative and deeply insightful exploration of free speech politics exposes the current controversy over free speech as a manufactured crisis that obscures deeper fault lines in our democracy. Despite its title, The Case Against Free Speech is less an indictment of speech than a call to reimagine freedom."―Laura Weinrib, author of The Taming of Free Speech: America's Civil Liberties Compromise and law professor at the University of Chicago

"When Moskowitz arrived in Charlottesville, they were expecting a free speech rally, but by the end of the day Heather Heyer lay dead, run down by a neo-Nazi. This was never simply about speech, and if we have learned anything, it's that white supremacy and fascism are not ideas to be debated but movements to be destroyed. Moskowitz surgically dissects America's free speech fetish, drawing speech into conversation with action and violence-not as ideas but as material realities. The Case Against Free Speech is the book we need for 2019 and beyond."―George Ciccariello-Maher, author of Building the Commune

"In this incisive treatise, journalist Moskowitz (How to Kill a City) argues that the concept of free speech has been distorted as a cover for maintaining existing systems of power... The analysis here is keen, complex, and well-organized."―Publishers Weekly

"A provocation for First Amendment absolutists, who may be surprised at all the hidden constraints that bind free expression."―Kirkus Reviews

"Moskowitz has posed a pretty vital question: How can you speak freely when you don't know what you're talking about in the first place?"
―The New Republic

About the Author

P. E. Moskowitz is the author of How to Kill a City. A former staff writer for Al Jazeera America, they have written for publications including the Guardian, New York Times, NewYorker.com, New Republic, Wired, Slate, Buzzfeed, Splinter, and Vice. A graduate of Hampshire College and the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, they live in New Orleans.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bold Type Books (August 13, 2019)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 156858864X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1568588643
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.02 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.55 x 1.2 x 9.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #528,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #435 in Civics & Citizenship (Books)
- #542 in Censorship & Politics
- #766 in Civil Rights & Liberties (Books)

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4.1 48 ratings

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P. E. Moskowitz

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P.E. Moskowitz is a journalist who has written for The New York Times, New Yorker, Wired, Slate, BuzzFeed, The Nation and many other places. They're the author of two books: How to Kill a City, and The Case Against Free Speech. They grew up in New York City, and currently live in New Orleans.

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let's talk about the first amendment

Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2019

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this book changed my life and really made me think more about the first amendment and why Americans don't engage with it more critically. who decides what speech matters, what speech is truly free, and what are its limits? everyone should read this book.

10 people found this helpful

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James Allen

A very unfortunate title

Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2020

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This book has an unfortunate title, because it is not really a case against free speech. It's more a socialist/Marxist analysis of the concept of free speech. It would more properly be called something like "The Truth about Free Speech," but of course I think the title as it is will sell a lot more books than the title I suggest here. I guess Marxist thought needs capitalism to sell its books.
Anyway, the basic point of the book is a socialist one: why are we running around touting free speech when some people are oppressed, don't have basic needs met, and are subject to state violence? Does free speech matter in that case? And in fact the wealthy and powerful define free speech in their favor, and the oppressed need more than speech, they need action. But of course taking action such as civil disobedience crosses the line, and is banned and those who engage in it are punished. So free speech remains meaningless because all that is really free is the rights of the rich and powerful to continue to stomp on your neck.
Ultimately, I remain unconvinced. Conservatives are on an anti-free speech tear, with the campus watch lists designed to intimidate anyone who they deem not loyal enough to The Great State, and to ruin the careers of those who advocate for Palestinian rights. The fight against this intimidation is a free speech issue, and the oppressed need to be allowed to say their opinion freely, even if it doesn't involve bootlicking of the military or the cops or a piece of cloth. I see no other way to support these rights than to support free speech in general, for everyone, even if, especially if, it expresses an idea that offends the Orange illiterate one. (For those reading this in 2120 AD, the "Orange illiterate one" is a reference to Donald Trump, who I assume is still your president as you read this).

19 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Informed and informative.

Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2019

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A compelling read— informed and informative; but not dull or droning at all. Highly recommended.

3 people found this helpful

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Sheila Gallagher

Important read

Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2019

Eye opening book on how free speech is determined by those with money and power. Those who are morally and ethically correct have no free speech. They are silenced in their speech and protests. Being an idealist, this makes me sad and worried about the future of the U.S.

His documentation is well done. I liked that he showed the other side of the story not just the part that we hear or read in the media. I am appalled that the government, set up with such high ideals, allows so many voices to be silenced. I learned a lot. I remembered how the stories he cites were played in the media--Standing Rock, Black Lives Matter, college demonstrations, Charlottesville. It is sad that today repeats what has happened in the past to unionists, communists, the poor, etc. We need those voices to equalize the abuses of those in power.

This is a well researched book that made me think about what we are losing as society is flattening out for the many with only a few on top. Let the protesters open our eyes and minds to what is happening.

8 people found this helpful

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Peter Levine

Free Speech Is Not Free

Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2020

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The author takes a very contraversial point of view in this polemic concerning
our conceptions and misconceptions of what constitutes speech. The idea that
speech is not free and it is connected to money. The ordinary citizen is one voice in
a crowd while the meritocratic elite class have the money to amplify their speech and
drown out the masses to affect policy.
Mobilization of the masses would skew the author's premise but the book is worth
the read to bring the contraversy out of the shadows for a dose of sunshine.

2 people found this helpful

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Noah Chauvin

Fundamentally unorganized, poorly written, and ahistorical.

Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2021

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Fundamentally unorganized, poorly written, and ahistorical, this book never manages to resolve its internal contradictions or to convincingly support its central thesis.

2 people found this helpful

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Edward Wright

Timely and Important; information and analysis delivered powerfully.

Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2019

P.E. Moskowitz brilliantly deconstructs idea of Free Speech, revealing the inner machinations of power that set the stage for what speech is truly free to be said and heard. This book is not anti-free speech, but rather shines a light on the delirium that free speech exists for everyone in an unequal capitalist society. Through personal reporting and activist experience, Moskowitz examines key moments in recent US history where the definition of Free Speech has been called into question and conveniently defined by those in power, often pushing a Right-wing, racist agenda.

An enjoyable read; Moskowitz's wit and brevity narrate difficult concepts in an accessible and entertaining way, despite the at times pessimistic subject matter. Meanwhile, offering a sharp analysis of the systems of power behind the conversation surrounding Free Speech in the United States. An important read heading into 2020.

7 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Read to disagre

Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2021

Verified Purchase

A short, absorbing read that is much more than its provocative title. One of those boy, I disagree, but this is enlightening books. Read it, or you will violate the author's free speech!!?1

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