It would be nice to think that Sunday's mass rallies across France, and here in Ireland, could change anything. They can't and they won't.
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As more than 40 world leaders, and Enda Kenny, gathered in Paris to express their belief in free expression, anyone who has a genuine interest in the idea could be forgiven for vomiting at the sheer brass neck of the grandees who assembled.
As 'Reporters Without Borders' (RWB) were quick to point out, some of the world's most repressive regimes were present.
RWB rightly said that they were: "Outraged by the presence of officials from countries that restrict freedom of information", and a quick glance at the guest list explains their ire: Egypt, Russia, Turkey, Gabon, Algeria, the United Arab Emirates and even Saudi Arabia took part - all countries which routinely jail or kill journalists and bloggers who fail to toe the line. Surely there's no need to ponder the absurdity of Saudi Arabia attending a rally in support of free speech, even as they were publicly administering the first 50 of 1,000 lashes to a blogger for the crime of apostasy?
Which is where Kenny comes in. First out of the claptraps with the usual platitudes and nonsense, Kenny was merely the highest profile Irish politician to hitch a ride on the #Je Suis Charlie bandwagon and the only reason such a sight wasn't even more disappointing is because we have come to expect no better.
How can any politician in a country which has blasphemy on its legal statutes dare to talk about the importance of protecting freedom of expression?
Of course, we specialise in meaningless, self-serving platitudes and weasel words in this country and we don't just have to look at Kenny to see the national disease at work.
Saturday's rally in Dublin was a master class in such double think.
Hosted by the NUJ, we saw a trade union which consistently votes for academic boycotts of Israel posturing in support of freedom of speech, alongside Irish politicians such as Frances Fitzgerald and Joan Burton - who are part of a Government which wants to introduce even more restrictive speech laws in this country.
Here's the thing - any eejit can hold up a sign publicly proclaiming #Je Suis Charlie. But if you're going to walk it, you have to talk it.
Freedom of expression is non-negotiable. It's not some arcane, wishy washy concept, like wishing for an end to world hunger. It's a vital bedrock of democracy and civilisation which deserves more than a bunch of chancers hopping on the #Je Suis Charlie bandwagon, even as they actively campaign against the very principles they now pretend to support.
Too many people, journalists included, seem to look on #Je Suis Charlie as the latest internet fashion frenzy - a combination of #Bring Back Our Girls and the ice bucket challenge.
But this isn't some nebulous fad to be used to show your friends what a great humanitarian you are. It is, quite literally, a matter of life and death.
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Either you believe in freedom of speech or you don't and if you have ever signed a petition calling for something to be banned, or you support our deranged hate speech laws, then you're off the team. Stop saying you are Charlie.
Because your actions have categorically proven that you're not.
