Is this freedom absolute? Are there limitations to it?
Does the freedom of speech include also the freedom to say what would be considered hate speech?
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This is a conversation going on just about everywhere in NZ at the moment. Currently we have some limits, for example to incite others to harm others, or to shout “fire!” in a theatre, but where should the limit be placed? At what point does hate speech cross over from being offensive to being harmful, and who decides?
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It’s a divisive topic in some quarters. There are people who argue it is absolute
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One might hope that anyone has the right to express an opinion in a reasoned, reasonable fashion, but when the intention is to provoke, insult, incite, bully or spread falsehoods then is that acceptable. Personally, I don’t think it is. One of the biggest negatives of social media is it allows people to shout at the world in hateful and hate-filled terms which kills all possibility for rational discourse and debate.
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Social media has allowed anyone with a smartphone and data a bi audience and it is here also that there is so much intolerance
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Common sense and common decency overrule freedom.
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That would imply the freedom is not absolute.
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It’s not. It can’t be inside social groups.
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You know there is a fellow we both know who think it is absolute
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I’m sure there are a few, but who are you referring to?
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I often shout out, in crowded theaters, “NO FIRE!!! NO FIRE!!!! KEEP WATCHING THE MOVIE!!! THERE’S NO FIRE!!!”
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There are limitations to the freedom: don’t cause harm appears to be a common sense argument & supported by your jest
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I agree.
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Not causing harm is key. Things like wild ass alien/bigfoot/ufo/chupacabra/ conspiracies, fake news, antivaxx shit, moon landing hoax shit, everything Alex Jones, Ken Ham, and Donald Trump say, deep state nonsense, the healing power of crystals, woo in general, etc etc etc. These all cause harm in some fashion.
While I do believe in a persons right to believe in any stupid shit they might want to, when it begins harming society there needs to be a way to hit the brakes.
How we actually go about this I don’t know. But some sort of disclaimer in huge flashing text at the top of the page, implicating the information you are about to see fails the reality test, would be a good place to start. Our words are either factual or they they aren’t. If we are speculating, we should say so, (I’m looking at you H channel) if we are writing fiction, we should say so, if there is any reasonable doubt to our implied statements of fact, we should say so.
Leaving out the relevant points to whatever discussion we are having and leaving it for the rube to figure out on their own, is IMO a form of mind control. Most rubes can’t figure out they are being deceived and go on to actually believing the nonsense that is plastered all over the tv and the internet. This is just wrong, to allow it to continue to propagate.
I relinquish my position on the soapbox.
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I think people can believe any shit they want to. They should at least not try to impose their beliefs, especially if they have potential to cause harm, to others.
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