A Message from Battleship Pretension
This has been a very turbulent election, resulting in a President-elect that very few people would actually say they were genuinely excited about. Now more than ever it is important for people to be able to speak out, which seems to be exactly what those in power are trying to stop. During the campaign, President-elect Trump expressed a desire to beef up libel laws in order to more easily sue the press for criticizing him. Elsewhere we have seen students claiming that free speech is actually an instrument for oppression.
We at Battleship Pretension believe that the freedom of every individual to speak their mind is the most basic right we have as Americans. A key component of this is a press that is free to pursue stories and offer up potentially unpopular opinions. The moment that a journalist or commentator is afraid to responsibly speak the truth for fear of legal repercussions is the moment that a free society begins to wither.
Many commentators are now stressing the importance of actually listening to people of differing opinions rather than simply dismissing them. We agree with this sentiment, but believe that this is only possible when people feel free and safe to say what they think. As such, we at Battleship Pretension pledge to donate all proceeds from any sales we make on our commentaries or premium episodes to the Freedom of the Press Foundation for the rest of the month of November. It may not amount to much, but it’s our way of telling people – from college deans to corporate CEOs to the President-elect himself – that power does not trump freedom and that even the most intimidating government force will not silence those with something to say.
-Tyler and David
Well written, you guys.
I had not yet bought the zombie or Batman commentaries, so I used this as an opportunity to grab them both.
Keep fighting the good fight.
America – FUCK YEAH! But also, yes: freedoms and shit.
All this to say, I enjoy having my opinion heard and not dismissed. May we all strive to have opinions discussed cogently, and to be those proverbial “reasonable people who can disagree.”
Yes! Good call guys.
“During the campaign, President-elect Trump expressed a desire to beef up libel laws in order to more easily sue the press for criticizing him. Elsewhere we have seen students claiming that free speech is actually an instrument for oppression.”
Imagine drafting a sort of emergency letter addressing the precarious state of our free speech, and presenting a corrupt president and a handful of twentysomethings side by side like they’re remotely equal threats.
The donation is a great idea, guys, sincerely. And congrats on 500 episodes. Wonderful week of episodes, and I wish you 500 more. But I think for me personally, it’s time to call it quits. I can’t take any more of this not-nearly-challenged-enough conservatism, particularly in this climate. It’s been cropping up more and more lately, and I should have listened to myself when I wanted to stop after that aside about trans identity that you both recognized was thorny but stayed glib anyway; I’ll grant leeway to two thoughtful people trying to work things out, but that and this and several other examples add up to too much for me right now. You can’t even denounce Trump on the latest podcast without attacking the other side, again playing to the supposed center that’s now so far on the right we’re all the way over in 1930s Germany.
Good luck, guys, not that you’ll need any luck. Hope to be back someday.
If you’re able to listen just once more, we’ll be addressing these comments on the next episode.