Freedom of speech.

This is the fact of life today

You have a mouth. What is it for? How about your keyboard? We are free to write and say anything we want…

until someone else doesn’t like it. And if that someone else is more powerful then your freedom of speech is at stake.

On a small scale you can see this in a family. I could easily talk about a wife that pinches her husband every time he tries to open his mouth, but to avoid bruises I will use another example.

The younger son has freedom of speech to yell out from the balcony the truth to the world that his older brother has ugly acne. That freedom of speech lasts as long as the older brother has punching power. The moment he punches the song suddenly changes to: “My big brother is the nicest guy in the world.”

Here is an example from Fox News:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1075187189522795

Just because they are speaking something doesn’t mean in fact that they are exercising their freedom of speech. Another example is the lovely Henny Penny. How sincerely she expressed her right to freedom of speech but only to find herself giving misinformation. She unintentionally devastated the lives of Turkey Lurkey, Goosely loosey and Ducky Lucky.

Img Source

It goes to show that great freedom comes with responsibility. The first amendment does not apply in the case of libel. If one intentionally speaks a false statement to damage another’s reputation that is not granted as freedom of speech but is liable of being punished in a court of law for libel.

After flying halfway around the world some people have jet lag and well there is a fine line between libel and a good joke:

https://twitter.com/nowthisnews/status/1006391606629621761

Still does the ordinary citizen have a right to say what they think?

How about on social media?

Will someone control the damaging things others say?

Who is to say what is a lie and how will damaging media be controlled?

Or should complete freedom of speech be given to everyone?

Then are those with more money given a stronger voice?

It’s amazing the things that survive in history even though the powers that be try their dandiest to make them quiet.

And it’s even more startling how many documents were destroyed.

This was written by a thirteen year old girl in her annex.

Photo by Greger Ravik found at Flickr

“The question is very understandable, but no one has found a satisfactory answer to it so far. Yes, why do they make still more gigantic planes, still heavier bombs and, at the same time, prefabricated houses for reconstruction? Why should millions be spent daily on the war and yet there's not a penny available for medical services, artists, or for poor people?

Why do some people have to starve, while there are surpluses rotting in other parts of the world? Oh, why are people so crazy?”

Today we are faced with the same questions.

How can we deal with the frustrations of living in the 21st century?

Is there a place I can keep my diary without fear of the powers that be?

So far Hive has been that place for me. You may have noticed that my SP is going. Steemit has been here a long time and there is no sure sign it will be here longer.


I hate to ruin it for the next generation.

“I think a lot, but I don't say much.”
― Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl