When I was a girl, shortly after the Earth cooled, it became fashionable for people to chide others that ‘politics and religion were not topics for polite company’. The trend became an adage – don’t talk politics or religion. After all, it’ll only start a fight. You know how Uncle Rodger is at Thanksgiving!
Now, every nutjob on the street could mouth off about whatever he pleased -we just weren’t supposed to talk about the topics with him, other people, the mailman or pretty much anyone. Mind you, we could discuss the nutjob in painful detail, right down to how he needs a good belt or at least some suspenders. Pull your pants up, Nutjob!
But not why he was wrong – or even occasionally right – about the politics or religious stuff he was spouting all over the neighborhood. After all, we were civilized, polite folks who would never discuss such things in public.
The idea that anyone should be ‘polite’ by not expressing their opinions is a nasty little lie straight from Satan’s hometown. Keeping your mouth shut doesn’t make you more polite; it makes you SILENT. Nutjob never finds out he needs that new belt because you’ve never developed the skills to be able to tell him tactfully. Nor does he learn that there’s more to a political matter than he thought because you never got up the guts to tell him. You’ve not done this poor guy any favors.
And you’ve done worse by your nation. The whole idea of Freedom of Speech is to protect public discourse. It’s not about protecting a publisher’s right to publish porn – that’s a perversion of the right to free speech – it’s about making sure that YOU and everyone else can discuss the politics of the day without fear of reprisal from your government.
Sure, there are things we tolerate that a truly civil society wouldn’t because protecting free speech is more important than prohibiting Nutjob from cussing. The balance is tighter around pornography because porn has some real world, nasty effects that hurt not only individuals but society. No one said this whole rights thing would be easy or that finding the balance between freedom and wantonness would be simple. But it sure as heck is necessary.
Free speech is a bedrock pillar of American governance. Government is just people empowered to make decisions for a (in this case very big) group. People only come in size human. They put on pants one leg at a time and make dozens of mistakes even when well intentioned. They also get greedy, power mad and just become general jerks. Look in the mirror. Remember the worst thing you ever did? Now, stop beating yourself up over whatever that worst thing was and remember this: government officials are just like you, human.
Some times we figure it out and stop being bad on our own. Sometimes we just don’t care and don’t stop. Sometimes we believe we aren’t being bad until someone proves otherwise. It’s just a part of being human. We ain’t perfect and we can be down right ornery.
In an authoritarian system, much of the human toll comes from officials screwing up, intentionally or unintentionally. That is true in all systems, sure, but authoritarian systems can’t self correct. No one can go to even a low level public official and safely tell him he screwed up let alone oppose the policies of the centralized power. That’s a first class ticket to a ruined life or worse.
But without anyone who can tell the official he’s wrong, he’s left to figure it out all by himself. Sometimes he will but often, no one tells him anything that might make him angry. So he never has enough information to figure it out even when he wants to do a good job.
The American system is designed to not only keep officials on the straight and narrow but to let the public decide what is best for their country. Just like that official in our hypothetical authoritarian nation can’t figure things out without enough information, the public can’t decide what it wants America to do if the public’s information is limited. The only way to ensure free information is free speech.
Your local journalist might be on the take but your barber is as honest as they come. Which one is going to give you the truth? This has always been true even back when the barber WAS the local newcast. But nowadays, you have a universe of information at your fingertips. Don’t know how to sort it all out? That’s okay, plenty of folks do and are willing to teach you free of charge – just look it up!
It’s strange that in a day when we are inundated with information that we are having to protect our right to free speech from serious attack but here we are. The first step in protecting free speech is USING it. Tell nutjob that you think he’s mistaken and why. Being a nice person, you’ll want to do it politely but the occasional shouting match might do you a bit of good. Don’t be afraid – free speech is your God given right. And besides, Uncle Rodger will fuss about something anyway. Why let him or anyone else tell you what you can and cannot talk about?
Free speech protects the American system of government from itself. Free speech protects us from tyranny. Free speech is the single most important right in the Bill of Rights for protecting American freedoms of all kinds.
If celebrities get to spout their opinions for all to hear, why on earth shouldn’t you get to speak your mind, too? Whether over the fence when you get up the nerve to tell Nutjob that his pants are way too low or online when you really think that someone made a good point you want to share, you have the RIGHT to freely speak your thoughts, ideas, opinions, expertise, ideals, hopes, fears and dumb jokes.
Use that right. Make the world a better place. Speak your mind!
