“He that is without sin cast the first stone.”-Jesus Christ
“Freedom’s just another word for ‘nothin’ left to lose” -Me and Bobbie McGee, Kris Kristofferson
The preacher in the slick suit made a disgusting comment about homosexuals, and actually dared people to be offended. The loud-mouth on the radio called a student-activist he’s never met a slut. Some other nut-job with access to a syndicated microphone is calling the recent tornado victims God’s leftover grease spots. A highly-political Facebook friend posts pictures of aborted fetuses and a highly immature Facebook friend posts obscenity-laced tirades against people who disagree with them. A dinner companion mutters a vile racial slur under his breath at the loud family in the booth behind you…
Man, our country is full of big mouths…open sepulchers, I think, is the Biblical term.
Free speech is not to be regulated like diseased cattle and impure butter. The audience that hissed yesterday may applaud today, even for the same performance. -William O. Douglas
Our country’s opinionated yakkers do such a good job of entertaining us that we want to give them a pass when they say things that are needlessly cruel and thoughtlessly evil. Even Pat Robertson, of all people, thinks conservative King of the Airwaves Rush Limbaugh went “a little bit over the top” with his absolutely awful commentary regarding Sandra Fluke. It seems only the immature and the wack-a-doo fringe owns their freedom enough to just open up and let fly where their foul (fool…) mouths are concerned: people like Bill Maher, Westboro Baptist Church, Rush Limbaugh, Louis Farakan, Al Franken, not to mention many preachers, comedians, prognosticators, pundits, bloggers and countless users of social media operating on stages of various sizes… But, are these people exercising free speech, or religious freedom or just childish prejudice and thoughtless hate?
Why do we read and listen to famous people utter hate-filled comments for our supposed entertainment, religious leaders spew prejudice in Jesus’ name, and personal friends and acquaintances whisper hate because they’re comfortable enough around us to “be themselves” and they think we don’t mind? When any of these people is made to own their words, why do we whine, “But he did it, too! And he’s said way worse stuff! Listen to this…(cue two-minute Hannity expose of Bill Maher).” Why do we feel the need to compare “who’s the bigger thoughtless ass?” Why do we think it’s okay to excuse hateful speech of like-minded people, and cry foul when people who think along the same ideologies we do are made to own what they say, while taking the exact opposite road when the ideology poles are reversed?
“Aww, but, c’mon Rodalena, surely you can see The Awful Double Standard?!? The other side constantly gets away with murder! There’s so much Media Bias!” Maybe they do get away with a lot. Or, maybe the other side has a different value set that holds free speech higher than it holds personal decorum. Maybe we’re just lazy: there are roughly a zillion sources of information available today. One can read news reported from every conceivable angle. To demand an “unbiased media” is to demand a robotic and inhumane one. If you’re concerned about bias, search out balancing articles, read the opinions of the other side, and use your own brain to distinguish fact from fiction.
The revelation of thought takes men out of servitude into freedom. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Should one’s right to free speech diminish in direct proportion to their influence? What if they espouse extremist views? Personally, I don’t think so. I believe one should be allowed to say whatever they wish to say, whether they are the well-briefed President or the nit-wit actor, but I also believe once you let fly, you’d better be willing to own your words, whether you’re a blogger, a journalist, a church, a facebook-user, a talk-show host, a comedienne, a student activist, a preacher, or a tweeter. Westboro Baptist Church (one place I really, really wish would take “Baptist” off the sign), is a prime example of this in action: they are free, according to a recent Supreme Court decision, to say whatever ridiculous hateful nonsense they wish. But, the result of that is the fact that that church has earned their terrible reputation: the vast majority of people in this country views them as hate-filled backwoods morons. If one speaks in a way that makes one look like an ass, and hurts people, then they’d better man up to the consequences.
Public speech is a fire: both a fundamental necessity and a dangerous terrible thing, and it must be treated with the reverence with which one would treat a raging fire. Because of the size and scope of the internet, most of us are public speakers to some extent. Whatever words you choose to say publicly are words that people will use to identify you, the real you: the intellect, the spirit and the soul of Who You Really Are. One’s words indicate a person’s maturity, passion, integrity, education, thoughtfulness, intellect, grace, depth, and (and this is a sobering thought) one’s words also vividly display which of these areas in which one may be lacking.
Freedom of speech requires a society to self-police its speakers. Regulating what can or cannot be said chips away at our foundational fundamental freedom. But, there is an ignored silent yet vital freedom hidden in our Freedom of Speech: the Freedom to Listen.
Why don’t we, who are the listeners, speak?
Ah, well, the truth is always one thing, but in a way it's the other thing, the gossip, that counts. It shows where people's hearts lie. -Paul Scott
We run around like fools saying, “Did you hear ‘Rush’ today? Ohmahgawd! Can you even believe he said that?!” Shouldn’t we be above that? Shouldn’t we instead know,”That was wrong. This man is hurting someone just because he can, and because it could up his ratings. And I refuse to help him do so.” Instead of fueling dangerous blazes, we, the hearers bear the responsibility to dig the trenches that contain the brush fires started by the hate-fueled burning coals of these hot-heads before the whole place is charred, barren, scarred.
The only way to stop this type of speech is for people to choose to stop being entertained by it. Speak up, listener, in the way that speaks the loudest: turn them off. Change the channel. Listen to some nice music instead. Get up and leave the service. Pick up a shovel and dig that trench. Protect the land. What’s that song say…? Oh yeah: “This land is your land…”
Really, they wield no power if they’re just talking to themselves.