How often have you heard after a poorly stated, though otherwise benign opinion:
“Shut them down!”, “She needs to stop talking!”, or “Throw him in jail!”
Obviously, acting on any of those would be a problem. However, what those ideas belie could be nefarious also. Censorship, even at the societal level, is the beginning of what Natan Sharansky called a “Fear Society”, and it is something worthy of keeping peeled eyes. An encroachment on this very basic freedom, means almost certain and creeping doom of liberty on a while. I find Sharanky’s Fear versus Free Society writings fascinating and perennially relevant, so I'll make sure they're revisited soon.
Freedom of Speech allow for the germination and cross pollination of ideas. The ideas then come under immediate scrutiny and either whither away, or become all the more sturdy. Essentially, this constant influx and culling in the Thought-space leads to is something of a Natural Selection of Ideas. A savage, and unforgiving environment where validiting, truth, and tested endlessly. Trolls, even particularly obnoxious ones, have their place in the world.
You're welcome.
I mean look at this purposefully comically shortlist that Freedom of Speech begot modern society:
Fidget Spinners, Hawaiian Pizza, “roflmao”, Hip Hop, Grumpy Cat
These are all things that entered the public sphere and grew because of Freedom of Speech. Now, amongst Steemians, I don’t expect to hear of many Authoritarian types. Most of us have even taken a solemn promise to ourselves, tacit or otherwise:
"Freedom of Speech (or Expression) is THE hallmark of Democracy and must be protected at all costs."
Yeah, that sounds really heavy coming from a guy talking about Grumpy Cat, but I'm telling you that this is so definitive to our being, that we have it ingrained in our thought patterns. We take this freedom for granted. But also, let’s not kid ourselves into thinking that the USSR would have invented the Hawaiian Pizza, alright?
As long we're down here, there is probably a majority that could agree with me on the following:
If we’re selfish douchebags, people are less likely to share their ideas with us.
Civility is vital for the ideas to get into the Thought-space to begin their Katniss-like climb to the mind of other humans. Where they either move on, or perish. Civility excludes behavior like ad hominem attacks (insults) and yelling, but it’s more than just being cordial. Which nerd is ready for some Latin?
Oh Hoc Yes.
Derived from “civilis” meaning “of the Citizens”, Civility actually means having the ability to be a good citizen: Critical thinking, listening, and the ability to state and support an argument. It is not the lack of doing that sometimes politeness can be, it is an active and life-long pursuit. It once met being eligible for the American Draft. In Singapore, Israel, and South Korea, it is a mandatory part of one's life if they wish to take part in democracy. It can manifest as everything from running for an office, to dropping off some caserole for your neighbor. This is another idea worth unpacking in another article, for sure.
If we can hold onto these two ideas, we will not silence those that oppose our opinions, and we can continue to use this valuable means for societal improvement. Perhaps even for new pizza toppings. If we curtail Free Speech, we are robbing ourselves of the tool we need to arrive at the best way forward. We’re breaking the compass.
I'll wrap up with two people that have very similar things to say about this AND are famous:
Thanks so much for reading, everyone!