Free expression is meaningless without the social power to be heard

Evidence

Rushdie possessed not only the freedom to voice his convictions but also the power to make his voice heard. Most British Muslims, by contrast, were members of an underprivileged community, one that had below-average education and income levels, lacked political and social influence, and held to a religious worldview at odds with the dominant culture. Because they possessed neither the power nor the status of a Salman Rushdie, their voices often were ignored or otherwise went unheard, and this reality fueled their frustrations. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 355

The enjoyment of free speech presupposes not merely the physical ability to speak but to be heard, a condition without which speaking to some effect is not possible. If one’s speech has no effect whatever it can hardly be said to be in the public sphere, no matter how loudly one shouts. To make others listen even if they would prefer not to hear, to speak to some consequence so that something in the political world is affected, to come to a conclusion, to have the authority to make practical decisions on the basis of that conclusion—these are all presupposed in the idea of free public debate as a liberal virtue. — Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular, 898

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes Edward Said’s point about narrative control and Orientalism; connects to the reading purpose about how Islamophobia is shaped by who controls the story. — connects to: Celebrating a destroyed culture’s ontology is empty without material freedom. — Frantz Fanon, Constance Farrington, Black skin, white masks, 646; Discoursing on power differs fundamentally from being silenced by it; First Amendment and private reading eroded the public sphere of discussion — James W. Carey, Communication as Culture- Essays on…, 647 (+13 more)
• DEFINE: Defines free speech as a performative requiring effective listening, not mere utterance.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 355; Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular:…, 898

Broader Connections

• The word ‘no’ conveys authority only backed by social norms and power. #exemplifies (0.65) — Jordan B. Peterson, 12 Rules for Life An Antidote to Chaos, 466
• First Amendment and private reading eroded the public sphere of discussion #expands (0.60) — James W. Carey, Communication as Culture- Essays on…, 647
• Masses stay silent because speech is taken away, not because of emptiness #corroborates (0.60) — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 732
• Free press rights replaced speaking rights with the right to be spoken to #corroborates (0.55) — James W. Carey, Communication as Culture- Essays on…, 633
• Invoking individual creative freedom obscures the social hierarchies behind minority protest #complicates (0.50)