Only Words: An Examination of Catharine Mackinnon\u27s Challenge to the Supreme Court\u27s First Amendment Conceptual Framework

The rapidly increasing cry for forms of speech rationing is part of the culture war that currently splits the social and political life of the United States. The individual battles of this war can be defined along several lines. There is the struggle of minority groups against dominant whites, and also a bitter struggle between minority groups. 1 We also face a neo-Marxist economic battle between the commons and wealthy corporate America. There is a growing conflagration between traditional religious groups and the supporters of a secular view of morality and society. Finally, there is the complex struggle between men and women. These battles are bitter and brutal, and participants fully recognize the power of speech and press in determining the war\u27s eventual victors. The stakes are higher than ever, and the intolerance for unacceptable speech is growing