I don't expect this post to receive bright and shining reviews, but it's been on my mind lately at the prompting of a near and dear friend and I've been digesting and reflecting on this topic a lot in the last week or so.
Freedom of speech? Is it really free?
We live in a very self-important society, toting our rights and guns as though they are badges of honor that we somehow earned simply by being born in America. America is the youngest of all the world-wide superpowers, and yet we fancy ourselves the wisest. We feel that our way of doing things is the right way. We feel we are the leaders of the free world. And by god, we have our rights and our guns to prove it.
What does freedom of speech mean?
How many times have we been told to just "get over it" or that "words are just words" when someone says something hurtful to us? But honestly, words can deal a devastating blow no matter how thick someone's skin may be. We take this on a small scale when someone calls us a nasty name. We see this on a much more massive scale when someone like Michael Savage says on his radio show that we should kill millions of Muslims, because when it comes down to it, it will be us or them. Regardless, words are not free. They come at a price.
At what point can we draw a line safely, though, and say, "You can't say that," and not have the censorship police create an even more damaging backlash to our society? We are at a moment in our history where our words are uglier than ever. Political activists take the parts of stories that fit their rhetoric and use these half truths to further fuel fires that are built on nothing resembling complete, factual pictures. Once you take a drop of dye and put it in a glass of water, it taints the whole glass, so that every bit of it becomes poisoned with the color of the dye. We now have masses of Americans forming strong, hateful opinions of each other and other cultures, because no one takes the time to learn the whole truth or the contexts of what they are hearing. They assume what they are fed is full truth.
And of course, they share these opinions. They share them loudly. They share them angrily. They have a RIGHT to their opinions. After all, this is America! The land of Freedom! The land of Opportunity! The land where we have freedom of speech, and the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Only, they share the information as they interpret it, skewing it even further from the truth that it once was.
Somehow in the end, the average American decides that it actually does make sense that we kill millions of Muslims because after all, if we don't kill them, they will kill us. Genocide. Why not? Makes sense, right?
Let us forget, of course, that we are judging these millions on the few. Every group has its crazies. I guess if it makes sense that we base our opinions of the nice Muslim lady down the road on the actions of Bin Laden, I should start judging the actions of the Christian family down the road on Hitler.
Freedom of speech, right?
Lets consider the consequences of freedom of speech on this particular situation. Michael Savage says live on his program that millions of Muslims should be killed before they kill us. That broadcast has been quoted and played online on multiple websites. This makes its way to those radicals in the middle east who DO have murder and genocide in their hearts. They assume that because we, as Americans, allow this evil to be spewed on our radios, we must condone and support this kind of nastiness. Personally, I see no difference in either side of this situation. Each side seeks to destroy the way of life of the other. Each side feels violence to do it is justified.
Freedom of speech. And we are entitled to these opinions. Because we are in America. And we have rights.
So, what do I propose? Well, nothing, really. Unfortunately, we are so befuddled right now with our freedoms that we would need to start completely over again to get it right. Once you begin censorship, you tear down the walls of civilized society and you do become ruled by the opinion of government. Nothing good can come of that.
But seriously, come on, people! A little common sense and respect goes a really long way! No, I don't believe in censorship, but I do believe in INTERNAL censorship. As entitled as you are to that opinion, how about sharing it with some respect and humility? No one is right. NO ONE. Not one side. History is complicated, has many, MANY different ways of being understood, and as a result, it is impossible to look at something and say in black in white that we know what the right side is.
We are so stuck in this era of self entitlement that we are consumed by our own opinions. We waste so much energy defending ourselves and convincing everyone in the world that we are right. What does that do in the long run? It makes us dumber. We stop listening to everyone else. We stop learning. We cut off our ability to be compassionate toward other sides because our side becomes the most important to us. Sure we have a right to behave that way, but should we?
Freedom of speech is NOT free. It comes at a large price and should be exercised with great care and respect. Situations should be approached with the desire to learn what the other side is saying.
And, get this-- it's okay to be wrong. It's okay to know you had it all wrong, and you can even admit it, too. It feels good to do! It is how we learn. It is how we grow. It is how we evolve. It is how we become better people, better friends, better neighbors, better parents, better lovers, just...better.
I love America. I love our freedoms. I do not love all of the people exercising them. I'm glad I have a right to feel that way. I enjoy other perspectives, and I love learning from other people. I love those moments when I realize I am wrong, and who knows--maybe this is one of them. Freedom of speech is a dangerous thing, though, and ultimately, I believe that has been a massive part of our undoing in the eyes of the world.
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