Lately, it feels like the First Amendment is always being debated. Although the Constitution gives us Freedom of Speech, it is still an extremely controversial topic.
In life, people grow up thinking they can say whatever they think without fear because of this freedom but in reality, it’s not that simple. There are often consequences to saying what one thinks, and those consequences can be extremely scary. Although it’s called “free” speech, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come without a price. You can say what you want, but you cannot control how people react; especially online.
Social media and public opinion has changed the way that people look at freedom of speech. If you look at things such as social media posts, politics, or even celebrity culture, things have gotten a lot more heated. Depending on what is acceptable at that moment in time, the backlash for commentary can be intense.
In this generation, free speech doesn’t feel as “free” as it once did. People feel the need to defend their right to speak their mind, especially when it comes to certain topics, because these opinions can lead to backlash and sometimes a campaign to cancel someone entirely. It can have lasting impacts on people’s personal and professional lives.
But, freedom of expression is supposed to be a basic human right and liberty in the U.S. Of course, there have been limits to this, as stated in the Constitution. However, it seems there is are new limitations that people have put into place and the consequences are more grave. Now, many people feel as though they can’t speak out at all.
Freedom of speech should be free, but one thing that doesn’t get talked about enough is responsibility with that speech. Individuals should think about what they are saying and the way it can impact those around them; just because you can say something doesn’t always mean that you should say something. Words affect people, and it shouldn’t be that freedom of speech takes the person away from what they say.
As Americans, we’re fortunate to have the right to have the freedom to speak in ways that others in other countries don’t have, however, that doesn’t make it so that we are totally free of backlash or repercussions. As one journalist pointed out when discussing the controversy around “Dilbert” creator Scott Adams, being a public voice means your words are always going to be judged by the people who hear them.
However, people can ensure that the freedoms that we have in the U.S. are still protected by thinking about the way we speak and being thoughtful with our words. Another thing that we can do is make sure that we are listening to others and trying to understand their point of view, rather than get hostile and create a further division.
Freedom of speech is one of the foundations of the democracy we have in the U.S., it should be protected fiercely. However, it should also be respected and not used as a way to blatantly hurt others. If we hide behind this as a way to hurt others, and we can no longer have respectful conversations, we risk losing the truth.
Words matter more than we think. They stick with people. They shape opinions. If we want better conversations both online and in real life, we have to lead by example. Because in the end, what we say has value. It’s up to us whether we can listen to others without jumping on them or fighting back.
