I'd like to hear everyone's rant about freedom of speech and what it is or isn't and how it affects individuals, our nation, and the world. Don't worry about making a point... just share your thoughts.
Wearing a political T-Shirt to a presidential speech. Swearing at police outside a night club. Political cartoons that degrade respected leaders. Teacher in high school lecturing that George Bush is another Adolf Hitler. Former Vice President expressing dissent toward the actions of the United States in a speech to a foreign nation. Corporate advertising. Inferior secondary school system so students must pay for post-secondary education to be competitive for jobs with tuition rates that have increased disproportionately to anything else in the last 30 years and a ridiculous amount of money being handed out by financial institutions to 18 year old unemployed kids who have no other choice.
Freedom of speech, the press, religious practice, are very important fundamental rights. We take for granted that we live in a part of the world where we can criticize our elected officials without fear for our safety. We can criticize our neighbors. We can act in ways that some may find offensive in public. We can display slogans that some may find offensive in public. A person that says they "don't care what other people think" is seen as a confident empowered individual. Why? And why does that make it right? Do you really have the right to offend others and not care? Just because you can, doesn't mean you have the right to.
Most people are smart enough to know the difference between right and wrong. Something that brings discomfort or harm to another person is wrong.
If an Atheist creates art which depicts a Prophet of a religion he doesn't understand nor believe a word of... and that Prophet is drawn in a disrespectful way... that is wrong. "But it's freedom of..." No buts!!!, it's wrong because it causes discomfort and harm to many innocent people who wish to practice their religion freely and peacefully in the world. "But you're pretty weak if you can't look at a picture for what it is without being offended" ...We are so desensitized to pictures these days that it really takes a LOT to phase us... that's not a good thing. So just because an alcoholic has built up a tolerance and can drink like a fish... consider a college freshman who gets alcohol poisoning and a trip to the hospital. A naked breast... most 16 year old boys have already seen a few thousand pairs on the web.... ....at least when he's 30, desensitized from seeing a few million pairs he can ask his doctor if Viagra is right for him! You show an image of fast food, soda, "Diamonds are Forever(TM)" enough times, people start believing that it's part of "tradition", "it's normal", "it's a part of who I am", "I need it", "I want it", "What I have isn't good enough".
Innocent people who open up the newspaper to see Mohammed or Jesus or The Pope or George Bush or Saddam Hussein or Hitler or whoever you happen to worship or respect as a leader.... to open your paper and see those pictures SHOULD be discomforting. A kid who loves baseball finding out his hero takes steroids SHOULD be discomforting. Most players don't take steroids. It's not normal, it's not the way it should be. It shows a lack of respect on the part of the artist, editor, athlete, etc... but it's obvious, they "don't care what people think.".
Statistics show all the numbers that you are familiar with. Higher divorce rates, more children born outside of marriage (offset along racial lines even), So marriage and family doesn't mean as much anymore... more restrictions on religious expression... religion doesn't mean as much anymore... The value and meaning of life itself has become a bit lower. I've heard people say they don't want to have children because they don't want to bring a child into a messed up world. Having children is the most basic primal natural beautiful part of the world. Any sort of social/economic/political pressure that promotes that kind of fear is absolutely wrong. Nobody should feel afraid to live a full healthy and accomplished life... and life doesn't mean your duty toward a multinational corporation from 9-5 for 50 years (10 years if you're lucky). That's not life.
People are just trying to live life to the fullest and support their families and read a paper or watch TV or walk down the street with their kids without being subjected to people's attempt at shock value with no constructive purpose at all. It's just "filler" in between the things that really matter in life. Parents want to raise their children to make wise decisions. Parents shouldn't have to fight corporate advertising which is also trying to teach their children to make decisions of another kind. (To create artificial desires in young naive fashionable minds) Parents shouldn't have to fight the system for their children to get a quality education that doesn't cut down everything they have already taught their children. Parents shouldn't have to ask someone in a public place "Please respect the fact that my children are present and your actions are making me and my children uncomfortable." ...or a girl in high school who has to hide her religious beliefs to fit in with her friends and constantly face the temptation and pressure to do everything her parents told her not to do... ............be strong. .............It's about respect. We must earn eachother's respect and the world will be a better place.
James Romeo wrote:Innocent people who open up the newspaper to see Mohammed or Jesus or The Pope or George Bush or Saddam Hussein or Hitler or whoever you happen to worship or respect as a leader.... to open your paper and see those pictures SHOULD be discomforting.
LOL, I just re-read that! OOPS! Correction: That should say "Innocent people who open up the newspaper to see tasteless political cartoons depicting Mohammed, Jesus, The Pope, George Bush, Saddam Hussein, Hitler, or whoever you happen to worship or respect as a leader... to open your paper to see those pictures SHOULD be discomforting."
Freedom of speech should apply to all mediums. Any speech that does not threaten anyone with immediate harm should be allowed. It doesn't matter if it pisses off half of the world. I have no problems with people who don't work for the gov. talking about religion anywhere. I don't believe but who am I to judge them? I should also be able to speak my mind, even if I worship the devil. This doesn't mean everyone has to agree, they just have to learn how to take what is said for what it's worth (someones opinion).
Depends on what the definition of "harm" is.
I don't think pissing someone off (Respected leader my ass. The only leader i respect is an uncorrupt ones, and we don't have those). Or *gasp* making a statement of how people percieve a belief system is harming. But that's my take.
Let's put it this way:
I'm pissed that people are abusing the ecosystem for vanity
I'm pissed that just about every organized religion out there condems you if you don't belive in the same invisible men that they do--and some are willing to kill you for it.
I'm pissed that we are so hard up to try and shelter children from the horrors of what is real life as opposed to trying to prepare them for the horror that is real life.
I'm pissed that in this country we can see someone being disemboweled on the evening news (because it gets good ratings) but show tits or ass--both very beautiful parts of the human anatomy, BTW, and people are up in arms.
Yet in all of those cases, i'm pissed and yet, nothing is being done about it. But, someone makes a political statement that pisses off members of a religion who's fundamentalists are taking lives and all of a suddem people are talking about limiting one of our fundamental right.
Bull@!#$. Life sucks get a @!#$ helment. If you get butt-hurt because someone expresses a belief that pisses you off, tough, because them minute you infringe on their right to freedom of expression that it curbs your right to freedom of expression.
We have freedom of speech, press, and religion. We do not have the right to not be offended.
Goodbye Callisto & Skađi, Hello Ishara:
2022 Kia Stinger GT2 AWD
The only thing every single person from every single walk of life on earth can truly say
they have in common is that their country is run by a bunch of fargin iceholes.
/\/\/\ What Keeper said.
And I'm pissed that the right to peaceful assembly has been modified to "The right to peaceful assembly 6 blocks down and away from the news cameras"!!
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John Wilken
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[quote=Keeper of the Light™]Depends on what the definition of "harm" is.
I don't think pissing someone off (Respected leader my ass. The only leader i respect is an uncorrupt ones, and we don't have those). Or *gasp* making a statement of how people percieve a belief system is harming. But that's my take.
Let's put it this way:
I'm pissed that people are abusing the ecosystem for vanity
I'm pissed that just about every organized religion out there condems you if you don't belive in the same invisible men that they do--and some are willing to kill you for it.
I'm pissed that we are so hard up to try and shelter children from the horrors of what is real life as opposed to trying to prepare them for the horror that is real life.
I'm pissed that in this country we can see someone being disemboweled on the evening news (because it gets good ratings) but show tits or ass--both very beautiful parts of the human anatomy, BTW, and people are up in arms.
Yet in all of those cases, i'm pissed and yet, nothing is being done about it. But, someone makes a political statement that pisses off members of a religion who's fundamentalists are taking lives and all of a suddem people are talking about limiting one of our fundamental right.
Bull@!#$. Life sucks get a @!#$ helment. If you get butt-hurt because someone expresses a belief that pisses you off, tough, because them minute you infringe on their right to freedom of expression that it curbs your right to freedom of expression.
We have freedom of speech, press, and religion. We do not have the right to not be offended.
amen, even though neither of us care
After discussing this with my bro, he made a statement on a point of mine that puts it succintly about something that pisses me off, yet no one seems to want to curb this trend in america.
If you show an act of hate on primetime TV, it's not only considered socially acceptable, but it's a ratings getter.
If you show an act of love on primetime TV, it's considered socially unacceptable.
And we're still not only buying into the fact that we're the best nation, but also the best specie? Give me a break.
Goodbye Callisto & Skađi, Hello Ishara:
2022 Kia Stinger GT2 AWD
The only thing every single person from every single walk of life on earth can truly say
they have in common is that their country is run by a bunch of fargin iceholes.
