Freedom of Speech & Social Responsibility

After reading a comment posted to the previous article regarding Mel Gibson; I feel compelled to point something out. Mr. Anonymous made a comment about the berating of Mel Gibson because of his drunken, anti-semetic tirade that has recently made the news. He asked if Mel Gibson lived in a Communist country? It seemed that he was inferring that freedom of speech meant that you could say whatever you want without fear of social backlash or dissenting opinion.


Something I pointed out to Mr. Anonymous was that freedom of speech is a two-edged sword. If you express an opinion in public... you have the right to do so... but you must also deal with others excercising their freedom of speech rights by expressing counter opinions and their views over your character, because we all know that what a person thinks says a lot about what kind of person he or she is. In this respect, the old Biblical admonishment is true;

"For it is not what goes into a man's mouth that defiles him, but what issues forth..." Mr. Gibson is not the victim of the suppression of his right to speak freely. In fact, it is quite evident that he exercised that right to it's fullest extent! Mr. Gibson, if anything, is the victim of his lack of accountability in making these comments. Comments which he now regrets in the cold, harsh light of sobriety. What I am saying is that if you're going to put forth an opinion in the public realm, BE ACCOUNTABLE! Make sure that you can deal with those who will disagree. Take ownership of what you say! Vocal dissent over a person's or a group's opinion over ANY issue is not only the right, but the duty of every American citizen.

There are those that feel that you should be able to say whatever you want to publicly and somehow be shielded or protected from verbal backlash or anger.

This is an endorsement of censorship at it's most basic form.

Where does the rationale of this idea stop? All things being equal, if you can't express disdain over someone else's opinion being vocalized publicly; then you take away the fundamental right that the original person had to vocalize their original opinion in the first place!

There would be no such thing as dissent, opinion, or free speech!

Freedom of Speech = Freedom of Expression, Freedom to Disagree, Freedom to Agree, Freedom to Boycott, Freedom of Religious Expression, Freedom of Political Affiliation, Freedom to be successful, Freedom to Fail, Freedom to Live, Freedom to Die...Freedom...Just Freedom

No, Mr. Anonymous... Freedom of Speech IS alive and well. It is social and personal responsibility and accountability that is in danger of disappearing. But... That's just MY opinion that I'm expressing freely.

Thank you,

Darren Simpson