Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and even this blog are all forms of social media which are rapidly taking over the internet. As much as I hate to admit this, half the time I spend on my computer is dedicated to Facebook whether I am posting things about my life or reading about others. Maybe it is mindless entertainment or just a distraction from doing homework, either way, it is interesting. Yet I think we can all admit that our favorite part of a conversation is listening to ourselves speak, which is why we have to constantly be careful of what we say because we will and should always be held accountable for our words.
You may have recently heard about Clint McCance, former Little Rock, Arkansas school board member, who resigned after posting anti-gay remarks on his Facebook page. His remarks were undoubtedly ignorant claiming that he liked the fact that gay people "can't procreate and I also enjoy the fact that they often give each other AIDS and die." Are you kidding me? These comments were made after several gay and lesbian youths committed suicide due to the harsh reality of bullying. Ironically, McCance sent his family to another state for protection after his post because of the abundance of calls and hate mail they were all receiving. Seems like that is just another form of bullying if you ask me. The fact that McCance attempted to withdraw his words and apologize make him even more of a pathetic coward because he clearly said what he wanted and meant. If you are going to post something for the world to see you better be prepared to strongly stand by your words, especially if you are a known name in society.
Now I am not suggesting that just because you are not a politician or celebrity means you can say whatever you want on these social media outlets, us everyday folks need to be careful too. Tyler Clementi, 18 year old Rutgers University freshman, committed suicide on September 22nd, 2010 after fellow students filmed him during a sexual encounter and live-streamed it on the internet. Fact: 43% of kids will experience bullying via internet or moblie devices. Why is it that we take such a privileged right such as freedom of speech and use it as a weapon?
Yes all these social media outlets are great for a society full of narcissits' but come on people, it is the internet, not your own personal diary. So save the racial, homosexual, politics, and religious comments for that drunken dinner table talk (although that could potentially get just as ugly).
I am having difficulty posting my commentary, I am getting this error "The requested URL /2010/10/hey-try-thinking-before-you-speakor-act.html... is too large to process." so here is the direct link to my blog.
ReplyDeletehttp://guerrilla-news.blogspot.com/2010/11/hey-try-thinking-before-you-speakor-act.html
Hannah argues in her blog "Hey! Try Thinking Before You Speak..or Act.." that by using social media to bully and attack the views and beliefs of others such as the gay community, the right to freedom of speech is largely taken advantage of. But I would say that freedom of speech can't be abused by someone voicing their opinion because that is exactly what freedom os speech is. If I don't agree with the war against terror and I decide to speak out against it, I would be completely justified and protected by the First Amendment to do so. I concede that certain things might be taboo to talk about in an open environment such as Facebook, but that is a judgement call of the person who decides to voice their opinion.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who fought overseas during three deployments and lost a lot of people I knew, I feel if you start limiting the rights that our country fought for during the American Revolution and continue to fight for today, what's the point of being American? Free speech is one of the great freedoms Americans enjoy and without that right America isn't America. I fought for that right and many of my friends died for it. Therefore, for anyone to tell me or anyone else to watch what we say in case, god forbid, we offend someone with our own thoughts and opinions out there in cyberspace is ludicrous.
By the way, people don't seem too concerned with negative and nasty comments made to me and my friends about what we did overseas for this country. So as far as I'm concerned, if they don't have to bite their tongue to spit in the face of my service, why should I hold mine?
“Hey , try thinking before you speak…or act!” or “What in the world were you thinking when did that?” is what my parents would always ask me when I did something that contradicted the morals our family stood for. In Hanna’s Blog she gives an excellent example of real life consequences that take place when we “run off at the mouth.” She talks about how a former Arkansas School Board Member was making insulting and bias slurs against the gay population.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Hannah and the intention of her post. No one, no matter how important, popular or loyal should speak without thinking. Doing so can cause contradiction in opinion and job position, not to mention (for politicians) followers that question their decision to put you in office. It is never acceptable; whether you are Clint McCance, Paul Paladino or the next American Soldier. Thinking before you act or speak is a basic principal that should not have to be discussed with adults. It’s among the simple things you learned in Kindergarten. Anybody who confuses what she was saying with the freedom of speech premise should read again and reconsider what was being said. Freedom of Speech is about protecting us from the government being able to control what we say and believe. That’s why we have clauses about the media or several cases that show our Supreme Court ruling in favor of an American burning a flag. Our soldiers fight for our continual freedom against other countries.
While nothing is really free, it should be understood that there was a price. Our forefathers paid this in the war against the British. We gained “the freedom of speech right” when they won and decided to steer our country. However there is maintenance that is required. I am sure our forefathers did not risk their lives in their attempt to properly navigate America, for us to have insulting and degrading “freedom of speech” to our fellow Americans.
I was once taught that when debating, if the common goal between the two parties was not to educate as an end result, get out of it. Well I propose the same thing to America when it comes to “Freedom of Speech.” If the common goal behind your opinion is not to spark thought, draw ones attention to a problem, or overall enhance, Shut up!