I recently read about the professor in Colorado, I think, that had been fired apparently for an opinion he expressed. Though the jury awarded him a dollar he did not get his job back as it was determined that he had not been fired on grounds of his exercising his right to free speech. In the article there was mention that if there are consequences to what you say then it’s not free speech.
My first though on this is duh. Most of us learned at a reasonablly young age that while we could say whatever we wanted, there could be consequenses. You don’t call a kid several times your size names without expecting to get beat up. You don’t mouth off to your parents without expecting to be punished. Ok, you might do it once. And then you learn.
I sometimes wonder if we dont’ take this ‘free speech’ thing a little too far.
How about we call it ‘Responsible Speech’. In our electronic/internet age we seem to have forgotten the concepts of lible and slander and that the law in the U.S. protects people from these to some extent. I understand the internet is a new media platform. Just because laws haven’t been written to specifically address it doesn’t mean we should through common sense and propriety out the window as we go screaming down the information highway at speeds our brains have yet to comprehend.
Just because the rules of speech and opinion were written so long ago does not mean that they do not still apply in the astounding new world that is evolving. Once you hit send on that email or publish on that article, just like this one, it’s out there and a person’s opinion will be on display for everyone with internet access, and a few without, to see. We have a way to reach an unprecedented amount of people from our electronic soap box and we are bound to offend somebody.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t express opinions. It means we need to be aware of how we express those opinions and that there will be consequences to what we say. It’s like I was once told, ‘it’s ok to break the rules as long as you know what they are and are willing to pay the price.’ So many want to break the rules and so many don’t seem to know what the rules are or aren’t willing to pay the price.
So instead of exercising the “right” to free speech, how about we learn to express our opinions responsiblly. Take into account what might happen if you make snide remarks about your company on your facebook page. Or if the company offering that job you want will really be happy seeing your blog article that is totally against either their product or their industry. Do you really want to say your boss is a jerk and provide the name of the company you work at? Come on. It is the same with anything we choose to put out on the internet. Or voice in an op-ed sent to a newspaper, or a call-in line for a tv or radio show. Just stop a moment and think. Then if you still believe you want to world to know how you feel, go ahead.
I’ll get down off my soap box now and let everyone alone. I know someone will come back with something. I got my story wrong, I didn’t site my source, I don’t get it. And so be it. You may leave your comments and I will either respond or not. That is what free and responsible speech is.
Cheers
Originally published at: suguayproductions.com/joomla which has been discontinued.
