"The right to freedom of speech has little real substance if, from lack of education, you have nothing to day that is worth saying, and no means of making yourself heard if you say it. But these blatant inequalities are not due to defects in civil rights, but to lack of social rights, and social rights in the mid-nineteenth century were in the doldrums."
In this passage Marshall is expressing how the right to freedom of speech has no real meaning if you don't say things that in authorities eyes are worth saying. You can say things and not really be heard or be aknowledged. Marshall says this inequality is not an error in civil rights but it is from the lack of social rights. He also states that in the mid-nineteenth century social rights were "in the doldrums."
What I get from this is that Marshall is trying to express how we have freedom of speech but yet how many of us really get our opinions across to the government or anyone in higher authority? The only people who are really heard are those who are involved, who are educated, and those who are entitled. I've personally never even thought about social rights. This piece made me think about what social rights really are. Marshall says in the mid-nineteenth century social rights were in the doldrums but if we think deep into it aren't they still in the doldrums now?
I agree, especially with the part of trying to get our opinion to the government. Citizens should be able to tell authority their own thoughts, and this lack of social rights are actually a flaw in society. Really nice post, you have a lot of good points that I agree with, social rights these days might still be in the doldrums.
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