A SHORT HISTORY ON FREE SPEECH
Free speech was a result of the first amendment of the Bill of Rights of the United States which guarantee's, along with the right for free speech, the freedom of religion, the press, and the right to assemble. but also there was a fifth guarantee that one does not hear much about. This is the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. All in the year of our our lord 1791.
You would Think the U.S.A came up with this wonderful idea of free speech, but you would be wrong in your assumption. The History of free speech goes all the way back to Socrates 399. b.c while being on trial he spoke "If you offered to let me off this time on condition I am not any longer to speak my mind... I should say to you, "Men of Athens, I shall obey the Gods rather than you."'
Then as followed we can see that free speech has been a right men have fought for for millennia.
- In 1215 in the Magna Carta, forced by his rebellious barons. King John I did sign into being the Magna Carta, which did not guarantee the right of free speech wholely, but it began a tradition of civil rights which would culminate 400 years later with the bill of Rights. The Magna Carta was also the first legal document that limited the power of Kings ans queens.
- in 1516 Erasmus, the educated Christian prince stated " that in a free state, so should the tongues be"
- In 1689 the British Bill Of Rights was written and guaranteed free speech in the Parliament. The British Bill Of Rights gave a large amounts of rights to the citizens of Britian, but even more importantly it influenced the French to write the French Declaration of the Rights of man, and the constitution of the United States.
- In 1789 the Declaration of the Rights of Man was written by the National Assembly of the French Revolution. It included not only the freedom of speech to the members of parliament as the Bill of Rights did, but it included a provision for free speech for every man. As written "The free communication of thoughts and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man. Every citizen may therefore speak, write, and print freely." Thus the true beginning of our most precious and dear right.
- *In the United States freedom of speech dates back to the first amendment. The first amendment was one of ten amendments that were added on in 1791 to the bill of rights. The first amendment as it reads states: " Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." This is YOUR rights people.
Today and the state of free speech
As you can see, that free speech has taken a 1000 years to get it to where it is now. In the advent of the internet a sad thing is taking place. You are having massive corporations who control what you say, how you say it, and when you say it. If, you want to say it on there site.
The unfortunate thing is that these sites are the modern day equivalent of the printing press, or the village green. With the unholy advent of censorship by youtube and Facebook and many, many others. We are watching are right to free speech not being taken by someone, but by the people giving it away. So they can Facebook, or twitt, or whatever. These rights that many have fought and died for in many coutries are being turned over like change at a corner store.
A people without history, is a people without an identity or purpose.
This what I see, these massive oligarchs and corporate entites in league with our governments are trying to rewrite the past, so they can in turn control the direction of the future. We can already see the cosequences of corporate interference of promotion of fake news in south Sudan which has caused countless deaths and over a million refugees fleeing the violence.
thank you facebook and Twitter :(
The rights that have been fought for and argued over for a thousand plus years are being hijacked by Facebook, youtube, google, twitter and all other of these bottom feeder corporate hacks. South Sudan is just the beginning in my opinion. THese companies have different standards for each country that they operate in, depending on the political/social climate that they are dealing with. This is pure evil. That is why sites like steemit and all of the sister sites that people are building are giving me hope that things will change. Currently there is too much power in the media held by too few, and that is a big problem.
Where does free speech become hate speech and cross the line?
I have though long and hard on this question, and the answer is, there is no line. It is either free speech, or it isn't
The problem lies in the concentration of power in the media held by too few companies.
If I don't like what you say, I don't have to listen, or read or acknowledge it. I, myself am a very aware person when it comes to the power of words.
We can use them to build our dreams, or create our worst nightmares.
So I choose to be kind and respectful. In my life there is no room for hate, and the language of hate. Just recently I was reading a post by a individual here on steemit and he was using the terms faggot, and speaking in the grossed use of language I have seen on Steemit to date, It was disturbing. Even more disturbing is that people were commenting on this post in a positive light. Not many, but some. I immediately wanted to flag him and campaign for a mass flagging on discord over this little piece of well dressed hate speech. I didn't though.
I believe as disgusting and disturbing his post was to me, he had a right as much as me to write it. Free speech is Free speech. We cannot pick and choose which speech is protected and which is not. It either is, or is not.
So, because this was a first for this individual I had voted him before I even read it, then I did for some reason. I then proceeded to remove my vote and take him off of my friends list. That is my action, reaction. I am not the arbiter of someones value system and their right to post. As off-putting as it was.
In conclusion
So, In conclusion Free speech is our most precious, long sought after gift from the ages, to say " you are free to say this, but not this" is not free speech. That is censorship even though I myself am not a hateful, nasty, bigotted, human being but there are some, and if we limit their right to speech because we find it offensive or do we choose to not participate and read or watch their postings. The internet is the greatest tool in my opinion man has developed in bringing the world together, but we will always struggle with ignorance and fear. Those to are facts of the human experience, I will quote Martin Niemoller:
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
