The Lynne Gobbell Case

The Lynne Gobbell case demonstrates that many people are not in favor of the purest form of freedom of speech. In this case, Lynne had a ‘Kerry for President’ sticker on her bumper, and although no harm came from this, her boss erupted and demanded she remove the sticker. After denying such a ridiculous request, she was fired immediately. In my opinion, this is outrageous because she was not causing anyone harm, and it affected nothing. People should be able to stand up for what they believe in, and should be able to freely represent what they stand for. Decorating vehicles should never have a negative impact on another person. For example, as a die-hard Dallas Cowboys football fan, I do not start breaking windows when I see other vehicles representing the San Francisco Forty Niners. I may not agree with what they represent, but I will gladly respect their opinions and continue to think freely while cheering for what I believe in. Mills’ harm principle suggests that the actions of individuals should only be limited to prevent harm to other individuals. It is easy to recognize that Lynne is not harming anyone, but instead she is the one being harmed; thus Mill’s would side with Lynne in a heartbeat. Karl Marx’s views on this case do not differ too much on this case as his ideas and beliefs would favor Lynne. His critiques of alienated labor and bourgeois freedom show how badly workers can be treated, as he believes workers tend to be taken for granted and treated badly by the upper class. Marx believes there are many different types of alienated labor and all affect workers in a variety of different ways. Marx and Lynne would both have defended Lynne if they were given such an opportunity to do so.

John Stuart Mills believed ...

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...arm principle, the boss is at fault because he was not harmed physically whatsoever, but instead used his power to remove Lynne from her job based on her political opinions. Marx believes workers are treated very unfair and should be treated better and respected for the hard work they put into their work. He believed the workers do not get anything out of their work and that the boss tends to have the upper hand and get everything that they want. To conclude, Karl Marx and John Stuart Mill both have legitimate beliefs, and with both beliefs taken into account, there is no doubt in my mind that they would do everything in their power to prevent the boss from winning this case.

Works Cited

Mill, John Stuart, and David Spitz. On Liberty. New York: Norton, 1975. Print.

Marx, Karl, and David McLellan. Selected Writings. Oxford [Eng.: Oxford UP, 1977. Print.