Table of Contents
New FIRE Video: Jonathan Rauch ‘In Defense of Being Offensive’
“We can’t trust anybody in authority to make smart decisions for us about what’s the acceptable point of view.” So says author and Brookings Institution scholar Jonathan Rauch in FIRE’s latest video, “In Defense of Being Offensive.” Rauch presents a stirring and convincing defense of pluralism over what he calls “purism,” arguing that minorities benefit more under a society that values pluralism, including the right to offend others. Rauch concludes: “Is it a dangerous situation when someone can shut down the search for truth by saying ‘Oh, that offends me’? Absolutely.”
Recent Articles
Get the latest free speech news and analysis from FIRE.
Can the government ban controversial public holiday displays?
If the government invites holiday displays, it can’t ban the ones it dislikes. Open the forum, lose the veto — even for Satanic statues.
The trouble with banning Fizz
On college campuses across the country, students and administrators are debating bans on Fizz, a mobile app that lets users within a particular community communicate anonymously.
FIRE's 2025 impact in court, on campus, and in our culture
We are proud to serve as the nation's premier free speech watchdog. Here's what we accomplished this year.
VICTORY: Court vindicates professor investigated for parodying university’s ‘land acknowledgment’ on syllabus
Ninth Circuit rules UW violated the First Amendment by punishing a professor for putting a satirical land acknowledgment on his syllabus.