So you think that you have free speech!
You had better watch your tongue because it might cost you a bundle. Traditional thinking, that the pen is mightier than the sword, might have to compete with the razor sharp tongue’s ability to cut some people the wrong way.
Of late, some speakers are beginning to realise that saying “what they mean and meaning what they say” can also be detrimental to their professional health and wealth.
Today, little thought is given to whether what the speaker is saying has a scintilla of truth. And some biased listeners are quick to brand the speakers’ words as fabrications, racist, sexist, homophobic, et cetera. The perceived offended parties constantly demand instant apologies, immediate resignations or the proverbial pound of flesh, to maim the speakers and deprive them from earning future income.
There is no desire to have an objective debate on any controversial topic so as to get information and clear up misunderstandings.
Free speech, verbally and in print, must be protected and allowed because without it we will be a less informed people.
– Michael Headley BROOKLYN, NEW YORK
