Johnston: The YPMB, vulgar? Hardly
The only effective limitation on speech is cultural expectation. That is to say, decency is a matter of prejudice rather than law. But American society is increasingly devoid of prejudice. The result is that Thomas Duffy, the director of the Yale Bands who last week suspended the Yale Precision Marching Band for displaying offensive language on a prop when they “marched on down the field” at The Game, should not be so worried about his professional reputation. While the band may be more likely to traffic in vulgarities in a liberated society, it is less likely that the vulgarities will...
