Do People have Right to Say Whatever They Want?

Rulke · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Rulke** on Thu Aug 09, 2012 6:15 am

Note not do anything like murder or commit crimes just give opinions about things. Is it wrong to give an opinion --- note I'm Liberal Anarchist and believe equality is great and in some ways direction to go--- my point is this. Isn't it's better they're saying this stuff rather than doing? Freedom of speech has a thin line people never cross, but has it become blurred due to sensibilities, morals and religious ideals. Are we afraid to hear dissenting opinions, because we know they're only saying this not doing this? Is words enough to ostracise people over. Or is it actions which should be taken more seriously; note I'm aware of mental bullying and torture, but I'm just saying when do we decide an opinion is wrong for this person to have? Opinions make us and break us, should we learn to ignore non-threatening ones to the more serious ones which seem liable to act out their opinions.

Food for thought.

Jag · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Jag** on Thu Aug 09, 2012 8:40 am

You aren't allowed to say whatever you want. Expressing an opinion, such as a political ideal, is one thing. Libel, slander, other forms of defamation, and actions designed to immediately incite violence should not be protected.

Colonel_Masters · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Colonel_Masters** on Thu Aug 09, 2012 10:27 am

And who may I ask makes that judgement? who has the right to tag the words of a person as one thing or another?

I will write more on this topic later but for now i will leave you with my general opinion.

I do not care what people say; sticks and stones may brake by bones but words shall never harm me.

My soul is not governed by words; nether my own or the words of another never mind how stupid an irrational i or another may become at the impulse of negative emotion (which may be all emotion when extreme). My mind is susceptible to emotion as it should be however i see my errors once i grant myself a moment of mediation free of the interference of emotion. emotions are what makes us humans both great and terrible they should exist as our friends and colleges but they should not rule over us.

If someone is so full of hate and anger let him bathe in his own dirt and so he may see the errors of his ways, by denying him his freedom to speak his emotions he shall never be free and his hatred will consume him to the bone. With freedom there is at least hope for salvation.

Jag · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Jag** on Thu Aug 09, 2012 10:48 am

I do not speak in ideals nor any lofty principles, only assessing and details that which is the accepted and governing law of the land I call home. Any assertions and philosophical reaches beyond that is somewhere I have no desire to visit. In this case, those judgments are made by the legislators and lawmakers who create the binding statutes and the judiciaries who interpret the same.

Rarikou · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Rarikou** on Fri Aug 10, 2012 11:37 am

It is as Jag says. Words are considered as Defamation, slander, etc. Is decided by the law, witch we ourselves had a hand in making. Truth is, people don't want to get their feelings hurt, or are scared to die for saying something, thus they come up with these laws to save their skins.

Elizabeth ArStrange · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Elizabeth ArStrange** on Fri Aug 10, 2012 11:50 am

You can say whatever you want, and I think you have the right to say absolutely anything. Words are just noise we as people have assigned meaning. However, you also have to deal with the societal results of what you say, whether they be emotional, physical, or legal.

Colonel_Masters · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Colonel_Masters** on Fri Aug 10, 2012 1:35 pm

I do not want to start making a list of how much comedy has suffered due to the Political correctness brigade (or as i like to call it prohibited criticism ) The idea may have been a nice one once but its currently killing freedom of speech and may be responsible in my opinion for our degrading quality of politicians.

I think that any law that restricts words and opinions that can be said is too dangerous to the right of freedom of speech; it has every chance of expanding itself into other issues and can potentially cause people to be afraid to even state their minds and fear can become both anger and hatred quite easily. when i was in the UK t and i was making a joke a friend of my dad stopped me before i finished it because he said it was dangerous to make such jokes. Our politicians have become both weak and have limited their vocabulary because of fear and when our leaders are afraid to even state their minds openly... well you can imagine the consequences.

All these laws generate is fear, fear of the law and this is a terrible error. What one would want is to encourage people of different religions and races to see themselves as one people and political correctness has achieved the total opposite and inevitably will generate segregation and hatred. I agree that these laws protect people from being insulted by bullies however the cost and danger is not worth such laws by a long shot. I rather know exactly what a person thinks then have him pretend and ware a mask. Do we really want to create a society in which the truth is appreciated less by the law then the fear?

I am saying what these laws have become and not the nice dream land ideal we like to think they are. If some one makes a stupid remark such as "nigger loverr" or "Zionist propaganda bla bla jews control the world" all the individual has to do is put that person in his list of idiots, ignore him or laugh at him and then go on with his life.

"Sticks and stones may brake my bones but words will never hurt me"

Jag · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Jag** on Fri Aug 10, 2012 1:43 pm

I completely disagree that all speech should be unlimited with absolutely no repercussions returning upon the speaker for those words. I believe that ideals and opinions should be freely-voiced without any sort of restraint or punishment for those who express their beliefs. When it translates into a verbal action of sorts with the ability to affirmatively and directly harm another, however, I believe that grounds should exist for the ability for the harmed person to seek redress.

For example: "That person is a pedophile and a child rapist."

I do not believe that you should be able to say that about someone and, in the event that such accusation is untrue, be able to avoid punishment for making such a statement. That transcends beyond the ability to freely express ideas and share thought and enters a realm where words are just as dangerous, if not more so, than physical violence.

VindicatedPurpose · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **VindicatedPurpose** on Fri Aug 10, 2012 2:30 pm

Everything has a consequence, a result, an outcome. People can say whatever they want, their mouths aren't broken. The reality is though, they shouldn't say whatever they want, because they're capable of some of the best and worst things to say. A person should judge what is appropriate to voice, and what isn't.

dealing with it · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **dealing with it** on Fri Aug 10, 2012 6:01 pm

Colonel_Masters, I see political correctness as an etiquette thing, not as censorship. It's like knowing the order to use the spoons at a dinner party, or when it's appropriate to pick your nose, or how to give and take rejection without making a fool of yourself. I'm sure you can appreciate why, for instance, someone stricken with a mental disorder might not like being called a "retard". Considerate use of language is not a bad thing. It is, however, certainly your choice to abide by politeness, or not. You will not get arrested, although you may come across as ignorant, annoying, or just plain offensive.

Of course, there is an exception.

The one and only case that springs to mind of someone going so far off the deep end of anti-political correct sentiment that he actually was arrested for it was probably the infamous Marquis de Sade. His words and deeds give us the philosophy of Sadism, and his writings are nothing short of a depraved test of the reader's endurance ("120 Days of Sodom", written in the Bastille, is set in a fancy dinner party that is also the most excessively sub-human orgy imaginable.) But, by the time of his arrest, his entire family disowned him, claiming that he was incurably insane.

Colonel_Masters · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Colonel_Masters** on Sat Aug 11, 2012 12:24 am

I am talking about Political correctness taken too far, nothing is positive once taken to the extreme.

In our recent years of human civilization we have along with the growing international media the growth of what is seen as political correctness. It now applies to anti racism, defense of different cultures and other elements of our society.

Originally these ideas where necessary because western civilization was emerging from an age of western superiority which also created a sense of racism among some. However it has since in my opinion self defeated itself and become more of a problem then an asset to humanity.

When I talk about political correctness I mean what it applies to now, its a immense term which applies to quite a few matters however because of my growth in a very different culture of thought different from both this century and the one in my nation I have come to dislike PC immensely for its continued "terrorism" of comedy.

It seems to me that PC in that regard has failed miserably; the walls around cultures, races, ways of life are falling down due to our growth as a society however if there is one thing that still segregates us and locks us into groups it is PC. PC has created a world in which not only is the protection of PC unequal it also fails to accomplish its goals; the fear of insulting people has become the fear of speaking out. Above all the word fear comes to mind, fear as if we are living in some kind of police state. Criticism is forbidden, humor is forbidden, speaking genuine opinions is forbidden; the list of things that are forbidden by PC grows and i can only see three things that this creates: Fear, Anger and eventually hatred.
I was once a bit racist to Arabs like a lot of Israeli Jews are but once i met a few and discovered that I actually liked them I lost that ignorant trait. We tend to joke quite a bit about each others civilizations because there isn't so much PC in this country however I naturally know what is going to far and where to stop.
PC some of it in this country but mostly in other countries forbids everything, it essentially forbids interaction among cultures and in my opinion if there is one thing which is arrogant in this world it is the the PC brigade. Those people who advocate the same things they claim to be against under the mask of "Positive discrimination" which leads only to Negative discrimination in the march of time.

Kuroe · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Kuroe** on Sat Aug 11, 2012 1:28 am

I believe thatpeople should have a right to say whatever they want. However, I do believe that there are some thing that should be observed when talking, such as not to actually sound like your being serious, if you're, say, plotting a murder or some such thing. Even if you are, just don't make it sound like you're serious. Even better, sound drunk when you talk to your potential accomplice, but....
Sorry, I just realized that what I'm writing here actually contradicts itself, since I'm basically giving advice in how to discuss plans for murder in public, whether it's good or bad advice.

dealing with it · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **dealing with it** on Sat Aug 11, 2012 4:40 pm

Colonel_Masters, I haven't had any such experience with political correctness taken too far. It's always been optional, and comedians have a long leash. Isn't Carlos Mencia's entire shtick that he's supposed to be a stereotypical Mexican?

Maybe you are talking about the effect of closet racists and other bigots who hide behind the polite words?

VindicatedPurpose · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **VindicatedPurpose** on Sat Aug 11, 2012 4:58 pm

We need more comedians.

viper45 · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **viper45** on Sun Aug 19, 2012 5:08 pm

Freedom of speech is a delicate issue. I believe that it's a great idea in principle, but is not practical in the real world. For instance, it's illegal to shout 'fire' in a crowded movie theater, as it should be. Freedom of speech should extend only until it interferes with the lives of other people. Words can have enormous power and should not be used lightly.

In places like America our freedom of speech is very liberal and and you actually can get away with saying almost anything. In other countries I'm sure this is not the case and should be changed.

dealing with it · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **dealing with it** on Mon Aug 20, 2012 8:36 pm

viper45 wrote:I believe that it's a great idea in principle, but is not practical in the real world. For instance, it's illegal to shout 'fire' in a crowded movie theater, as it should be. Freedom of speech should extend only until it interferes with the lives of other people. Words can have enormous power and should not be used lightly.

If you make it illegal to use words when they actually matter, you've completely castrated words from their power. Should it be illegal for someone to tell people that their lifestyle is destroying the environment, since that definitely "interferes with the lives of other people"? Should we make sure political speeches only stick to issues that don't interfere with anyone's lives? Should we imprison artists for performing shock tactics on unsuspecting victims?

viper45 · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **viper45** on Mon Aug 20, 2012 11:06 pm

dealing with it wrote:
viper45 wrote:I believe that it's a great idea in principle, but is not practical in the real world. For instance, it's illegal to shout 'fire' in a crowded movie theater, as it should be. Freedom of speech should extend only until it interferes with the lives of other people. Words can have enormous power and should not be used lightly.
If you make it illegal to use words when they actually matter, you've completely castrated words from their power. Should it be illegal for someone to tell people that their lifestyle is destroying the environment, since that definitely "interferes with the lives of other people"? Should we make sure political speeches only stick to issues that don't interfere with anyone's lives? Should we imprison artists for performing shock tactics on unsuspecting victims?

I never said anything about making it illegal to use words when they actually matter. Besides, what does that even mean? We can agree that words definitely have power, otherwise they wouldn't matter. If words didn't have power, then dictators wouldn't be making speeches, comedians wouldn't be making people laugh, and people wouldn't be shocked when a certain word is uttered.

To use a metaphor; words are like hands. You can use them to help people and support others, or you could use words as fists and beat them down. Verbal abuse is real, and in my opinion is much more harmful than physical abuse. Words don't leave scars on the outside. Should we condone verbal abuse and derogatory insults intended to hurt others, simply in an effort to promote free speech? I do not believe so. I believe that people should be held accountable for their words. But where should the line be? If the words are a joke? If a gangster on the street yells at me, "I'm going to kill you!" what should my response be? His words are so powerful that I will be forced to assume he is about to follow up on his words with some kind of action. Legally, I would be able to defend myself and others since I would be in immediate, life-threatening danger.

Let's say that example is too extreme. What if a neighbor is just really upset with me and calls the police and tells them that I am abusing my child. The police must believe his words are truth and treat the situation as a serious crime. They would show up at my house or work and disrupt my entire day, even though I did nothing wrong besides upsetting my neighbor. And then the neighbor would be arrested for filing a false report.

Something like that is what I am talking about, when someone's words manage to interfere with my life. Because words have weight and meaning and should not be used lightly. Should certain words be illegal to say? Most of the time, no, especially if said in some kind of context. But in certain situations, then yes, they definitely should be. Situations like the examples I gave, or a hundred other examples I could come up with.

In political speeches, though? In art and comedy? No, those should be free unless it becomes defamation.

Jag · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Jag** on Tue Aug 21, 2012 1:50 pm

Hokay.

It is not illegal to shout "fire" in a theater. That was a paraphrased example from Justice Holmes from a 1919 Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that the distribution of flyers opposing the Draft was not protected under the First Amendment. It gave rise to the "clear and present danger" test. The fire thing is not a law nor an actual judicial decree, just an off-the-cuff example given by the man. Also, it is important to note that he said falsley shout "fire." If there really is a fire, I want someone yelling and letting everyone know about it and so did Justice Holmes.

That 1919 case was overturned in 1969 and replaced with a new test where speech can be regulated/limited which it is directed for or likely to incite imminent lawless action, such as attempting to start a riot. It's a little different.

Sorry, that is just one of my pet peeves when people throw out little things like that.

Do People have Right to Say Whatever They Want?

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