Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

2016 Postmortem

Recursion

(56,582 posts)

2. "Fire in a crowded theater"

Reply to Uncle Joe (Reply #1)

Mon Nov 2, 2015, 11:46 PM

Nov 2015

Side note: Debs's case was part of a trio of cases that established the "clear and present danger" doctrine of restrictions on free speech, and gave us the famous "shouting fire in a crowded theater" metaphor. So next time you see that phrase used, remember it was invented as a comparison to handing out anti-war leaflets.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

12 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Why Bernie Sanders Should Invoke Eugene Debs [View all] mother earth Nov 2015 OP

This part is fascinating. Uncle Joe Nov 2015 #1

"Fire in a crowded theater" Recursion Nov 2015 #2

By the 1960s and the Vietnam era protests, that didn't matter. n/t Uncle Joe Nov 2015 #3

Eugene Debs was an incredible man, it's quite telling & appropriate that Bernie greatly admires mother earth Nov 2015 #4

To get near a million votes while you're in jail and this in 1920 with no television or radio Uncle Joe Nov 2015 #5

Absolutely, like today, people who want REAL change, not just phoney rhetoric, are all mother earth Nov 2015 #6

When they say the "winners write history" it's not just the victors of war but those Uncle Joe Nov 2015 #8

Due to Felony Disenfranchisement, Debs himself was not one of those nearly one million voters. stone space Nov 2015 #11

While undoubtedly an important and influential figure in US history, when it came to Persondem Nov 2015 #7

I wish he would. It would be a good narrative for Bernie KoKo Nov 2015 #9

Disregarding the fact that only a couple of percent of people MineralMan Nov 2015 #10

He made a Debs documentary in 1979 jfern Nov 2015 #12