You want Free Speech?
And I bet you want free lunch too.
I am free to give a speech or air my opinion about anything as long as "anything" is about myself. That is as far as my Free Speech goes.
Is it just for me to publicly comment or opine about stuff I know little of? Instead of airing my shallow understanding to the world (and implicitly my stupidity), shouldn't it be more meaningful for me to seek to understand?
On the other hand, I still can choose to say whatever I want to say. I can poke fun at my own people, people who have different colors than I, people who speak different languages, people who believe (or disbelieve) in different gods, or people who live in different atmospheres.
But then, I have to live with the consequences. Some people may be hurt by my words for one reason or another. They'll come after me. They seek justice. The people I hurt with my words have rights too -- The rights to protect their dignity or the sanctity of what they believe in.
Does Free Speech mean that I am free from accountability? I must take the accountability for what I say. Accepting that accountability means that I must be ready to pay for what I say. Probably, Free Speech isn't what I want. What I want is Accountable Speech.
I am free to give a speech or air my opinion about anything as long as "anything" is about myself. That is as far as my Free Speech goes.
Is it just for me to publicly comment or opine about stuff I know little of? Instead of airing my shallow understanding to the world (and implicitly my stupidity), shouldn't it be more meaningful for me to seek to understand?
On the other hand, I still can choose to say whatever I want to say. I can poke fun at my own people, people who have different colors than I, people who speak different languages, people who believe (or disbelieve) in different gods, or people who live in different atmospheres.
But then, I have to live with the consequences. Some people may be hurt by my words for one reason or another. They'll come after me. They seek justice. The people I hurt with my words have rights too -- The rights to protect their dignity or the sanctity of what they believe in.
Does Free Speech mean that I am free from accountability? I must take the accountability for what I say. Accepting that accountability means that I must be ready to pay for what I say. Probably, Free Speech isn't what I want. What I want is Accountable Speech.
Comments