QUESTIONS ABOUT FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION….VERSUS THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR ACTIONS
I’ll try to frame this in a very generic way. By that I mean, trying to stay — apolitical. There’s no intended bias, nor defense of any particular ideology, nor the advance of another.
Assuming you’re rational and logical and can argue a point without emotion, you should be able to ponder larger questions and perhaps also offer constructive engagement. At least, that’s what I’m hoping for.
Here we go….
Recent shootings and other tragedies remind us that we’re all connected. Here and now, those connections may be through electronic means, but they are just as personal and potentially powerful. What we write, or post, or say, or share does have *consequences.* It clearly impacts friendships, personal interactions, and even families. I’m sure that I’ve crossed some boundaries over the years with others. So too, have many of you. Perhaps that’s just part of social media engagement, and then learning from the occasional mistake. Those of us who are more involved, and more passionate, are much more likely to say and post things other people might find offensive. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. If I don’t offend anyone ever, then I’m probably not saying much worth reading. BTW, I’m perfectly comfortable with everything I’ve written in the last week.
Note that many people have been fired or attacked or face other serious consequences because of their social media opinions. This cuts entirely across the board — all ideologies. Recently, we’ve seen firings and suspensions of people who expressed “offensive” opinions. I could be more specific, but a Goggle search will sufficiently provide examples that have even made the news. [*SEE BELOW]
My question is — so long as an individual is on their own time, shouldn’t they be able to express an opinion without fear of reprisal?
I think we can all agree that persons working on behalf or (or speaking for) any organization or entity would be 100 percent responsible and accountable for common sense codes of conduct and subject to tempered personal opinion. We should be in universal agreement that persons on company or government time and/or those speaking on behalf of larger groups absolutely do have standards that should be adhered to. Furthermore, personal opinions — especially controversial or inflammatory ones — have no business under those banners or on platforms that could confuse readers and consumers. If I work for Coca-Cola and then post on an official coke social media account that “coke sucks,” well — I deserve to be fired.
What I’m asking about here are individuals on their own time, on their own personal social media accounts, expressing their own opinions. Should there be consequences for those shared ideas and actions? I suspect we can agree that outlandish threats or dangerous language should eclipse any individual rights to free expression. For instance, if we learn someone in a position of authority holds potentially harmful opinions, especially to those in proximity to danger, corrective and punitive action is likely warranted. But what about simply expressing a controversial opinion? And what about an opinion that perhaps was made in the heat of anger, or while in some state of temporary inebriation (drunk, drugs, emotional distress, etc.). What about something posted in one’s youth, when they were far less experienced as to the consequences of dumb behavior? What about someone who posted something terrible, but now completely holds different views? All “transgressions” are not the same.
IMPORTANT POINT: I don’t necessarily mean “freedom of speech” in the Constitutionally-protected sense. Most of us are far more bounded by societal pressures, including how it impacts work, community, family, etc.
My view is that punishing *individuals* for content and comments is a VERY slippery slope. This is dangerous. It makes everyone vulnerable (and subjects most people to future scrutiny for ideas shared prior, in some cases many years earlier). Do we really want every tweet, post, and comment to be fodder for potentially firing someone?
Admittedly, this is tough to answer in a generic sense. So much depends upon the context. Nonetheless, we should all be aware that what we say and tweet and post and share CAN BE USED AGAINST US. Frankly, I find this frightening. Even those whom I vehemently disagree with should be subject to some protections. Not blanket immunity, but some some latitude for free expression seems imperative in a culture that’s INCREASINGLY going to face these problems.
I’m hoping for an open dialogue here. I’m not interested in debating certain cases, unless there’s some larger lesson to be learned from it. I think the principles are the same when it comes to protection of free speech and expression, particularly on social media, including Facebook. However, those who disagree may want to draw tighter lines, and I’d like to know where those might be.
Comments welcome.
_________
Some examples, which admittedly are very generic.
— What about celebrating the death of Kirk?
— Or posting the idea that being gay is a mental illness?
— Or spewing that Palestinians are terrorists or that all Muslims should die?
— Or sharing a vile post about something (just sharing a post, not writing it).
— Or “liking” a post that’s sexually provocative or misogynistic?
What if the offender is a schoolteacher, or medical doctor at a state-owned facility? What if it’s a police officer? What if it’s a DMV clerk? Different standards for all?
These are rhetorical questions, of course. Unfortunately, they are increasingly going to come up, and no one –regardless of ideology– will be immune from scrutiny.
To join the discussion on Facebook, CLICK HERE:
