If you ever find yourself listening to someone who is calling themselves a “champion of free speech,” be warned: You may just be listening to an idiot.

It seems to be a fairly common misconception these days that by adopting an off-color, obscene or extremist viewpoint, one is somehow protecting all of our civil liberties.

You wants examples? I gots examples. First of all, anyone who proclaims himself a “shock jock” is obviously among the damned. I may refer to Mancow as an example because he’s broadcast in this area, and because he pisses me off.

Mancow proudly proclaims that he broadcasts on the free speech radio network. While I find the word “turd” as amusing as the next guy, I don’t consider saying it on the radio the greatest service to the First Amendment.

Fred Phelps, who guards the gate into the seventh circle of hell, is another example. For those who don’t know, Phelps is the Kansas preacher who advocates everything up to and including all-out genocide of homosexuals.

In content, Phelps and Mancow are quite different, but both mistake shock value for truth.

It’s quite sick that so many people buy into the idea that something shocking and obscene is the purest form of expression.

All these people care about is getting a reaction, and it’s a hell of a lot easier to appeal to people’s prejudices than to their intellects.

I hope everyone understands I’m not saying that these people should not be allowed to voice their opinions. I have the utmost respect for our friends at the ACLU and other organizations that make sure no one is kept silent because of what they have to say.

It’s been said before: We have to protect the rights of the most unsavory elements in our society to insure freedom for the rest of us.

That doesn’t mean that people who adopt a radical view are the ones protecting our freedom. That’s just a silly attempt to make ignorance noble.

After all, nobility is what most of these extremists are seeking. They’ve mistaken being reactionary for being revolutionary.

A misconception I can understand. A truly revolutionary opinion is always an extreme one; however, an extreme opinion is not necessarily revolutionary.

In fact, it’s usually just a “turd.”

These same junior Napoleons also commonly mistake brazen cruelty for “telling it like it is.”

It’s impossible to tell it like it is because IT is something different to every person. Whatever we consider to be the truth is, at best, a commonly held perception.

A radical viewpoint also provides a safety net for whoever is purporting the opinion. When people disagree with an outlandish point of view, the defense is generally that they weren’t able to handle it.

The underlying implication seems to be that we were all thinking the same thing, but only Jocko had the “balls” to say it.

Not true. Many of us are able to understand exactly what Jocko is saying — we simply disagree.

Just because freedom of speech includes extreme points of view doesn’t mean that those are the most powerful, true or noble opinions to have. When we look at people’s opinions, there is always a regression towards the mean.

Most people’s opinions fall somewhere near the middle of any particular issue, and our democracy caters to that.

In fact, one of the principles under which democracy works is the assumption of the responsible citizen. The responsible citizen, unfettered by government restriction on personal freedoms, will weigh both sides of an issue and make an informed choice.

At least, in theory that’s how it works. Unfortunately, there are as many irresponsible citizens in our society as responsible ones.

And some of them have radio shows, or congregations, or even newspaper columns, for that matter.

These people make an irresponsible choice, either because they are ignorant, or maybe just because they can.

Then many of them try to make you believe that unless you ride with them at the bow of the ship, you’re just ballast.

Actually, being more comfortable in the middle ground of an issue doesn’t make your opinion any less valid — and just because you’re not testing its limits doesn’t mean you’re not utilizing your freedom of speech.

Don’t mistake brash exaggeration for truth, and don’t mistake a fame-seeking lunatic for a prophet.

Remember, sometimes the truth hurts, but just because it’s painful doesn’t mean that it’s true.

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Ben Godar is a junior in sociology from Ames.