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Philosophy Talk: The Power and Peril of Satire

Does freedom of speech guarantee the right to poke fun at anyone and anything we want?

Satire is everywhere – in conversations with friends, in books, on television, and online. When used effectively, it can be a very powerful form of social commentary. But what happens when someone goes too far, or even worse, when some publication repeatedly goes too far? Aside from taking offense, can we reasonably demand that they pull their article from publication or issue an apology? Are there topics we should never satirize? Is there a well-defined line between satire and hate speech? John and Ken resist parody with Jane Kirtley, Director of the Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law at the University of Minnesota. Sunday 3/18 at 11 am and Tuesday 3/20 at 12 noon.