October 22, 2012 - Start of Free Speech Week

You could start thinkingnabout freedom of speech by checking out the official Free Speech Week website. There you can find out about an essay contestn(which ends today!), watch some videos, and find out what variousnorganizations have done to celebrate freedom of speech.
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The creators of the daynencourage us all—kids and teens and adults—to write in privatenjournals or public blogs, to comment on Facebook or on others’ blognposts or websites, to write articles or letters for school or citynnewspapers—in order to to exercise our free speech rights andnexpress our ideas.

nI just read anninteresting blog post from PZ Myers. He wrote that “free speech isnnot freedom from responsibility,” and he explored some of thennuances of the free speech discussion. Basically, he points out thatnthis freedom, like any other freedom, is not absolute.

nI have always known thatnfree speech has some limits. For example, it has been ruled that freenspeech doesn’t include speech that causes others clear and presentndanger, such as screaming “Fire!” in a movie theater when therenis no fire. You probably know that libel and slander and defamationnlaws also limit free speech: you cannot write or broadcast a falsenclaim that gives someone else a negative image. There is even somenlimitation of public disclosure of private facts—even if the factsnare true, courts have ruled, that is no defense against invasion ofnprivacy.

nSo there are a lot ofnreasonable limitations on freedom of speech.

PZ Myers points out thatnsome people complain that someone’s freedom of speech has beennviolated if they are not allowed to comment on a certain website,nblog with a certain blog group, or talk on a certain broadcast show.nBut, he says, that is clearly wrong. The person can still speaknfreely elsewhere. There is no reason that a website moderator, say,nor network executive HAS TO provide a soapbox and megaphone for everynsingle person in the world to say whatever he or she wants, whenevernshe or he wants.

nPeople who disagree withnyou and me—even people who have awful views and ideas—have thenright to speak and write about their ideas. But they don’t have thenautomatic right to speak at, say, the science conference I went to anfew months ago, or the church down the road, or a soldier’s funeral.nI have a right—–and even a responsibility!—to eliminate ancomment on my Facebook page or on this blog if I consider it highlyninappropriate or hate speech.

Myers points out thatnwhen we discuss freedom of speech, we should acknowledge thenproblem of privilege. As always in a democracy, where the rights ofnthe minority must be safeguarded against the whims of the majority,nwe must consider the fact that not everyone has equal access tonpublic speech. It seems as if the internet offers a democraticnsolution to the problem of the wealthy and powerful owning thenprinting presses and broadcast stations. However, even on theninternet, we have to watch out that the loudest and most aggressivenvoices don’t drown out everyone else. One possible problem withncommunication on the internet is its opportunities for anonymity; Inhave seen, over the years, that people writing anonymous posts orncomments often feel free to speak horribly hateful words that theynwould never, ever say to someone in the flesh, in real life. n

nBasically, freedom ofnspeech is important, and worth defending. But this freedom must bendiscussed with nuance rather than with absolutes. It is a freedomnthat must be balanced against other freedoms. It is a freedom thatncarries responsibilities to ourselves and others. n

nAlsonon this date: