Is freedom of speech dying?

I warn you this blog will be intense and possibly controversial. I want to tackle the issue of freedom of speech. To be more precise, I want to investigate if it still exists or are we living in a society where only the widely accepted opinions are the once we are allowed to voice. 

Why this subject?

I consider myself to be highly opinionated on many subjects. I am one of these people who will volunteer their opinion if asked for it or not. I tend to read a lot, watch TV, follow media, and I think I have a well-rounded view of the world as well as relatively decent general knowledge. I am, for sure, able to form my own opinion and make up my mind on most topics. This is not to say that I have never been influenced by someone else.  Of course, I was.  But that only happened when I agreed with them in a first place,  at least to a certain extend. I don’t come across many occasions where I change my mind completely based on somebody else’s view. And this is why it bothers me when I feel like I am being told what to think and say. 

Political correctness

Would you agree that recently the “society” (not quite sure who exactly) is pushing on us a set of opinions, values and points of view that might not be precisely in line with what we really think? And if we dare to have a belief that is not in line with that general trend, then we are being punished, chastised and made to feel bad. Yes, this relates typically to controversial subjects, and possibly this is why the reactions are so strong. But still, I think we should be able to voice our opinion and think freely. I reckon everyone should have a right to their own viewpoint; we don’t need to agree on everything. The differences we have is what makes this world an interesting and exciting place to be. 

Can you see me beating around the subject in the previous paragraph? Exactly! So even I, straight-talking and “black or white” kind of person, am wary of voicing my opinion in fear of rebuke. I don’t want to be accused of being racist, nationalist, bigoted, homophobic or anything else along these lines, only because I may have an opinion that differs from these presented by media. This became such pressure that even in private settings we are not entirely open as we are afraid of the possible consequences. How many times have you heard “be careful what you say, you never know who is listening and who will find out”. The so-called political correctness is becoming a doctrine more than the right thing to do. Trust me, I come from a former communist country. I can recognise the signs. If the government, media or the church start telling you what and how to think and say, you are heading for repression. It may not be as radical yet, but there is a clear tendency. 

A few examples 

So let me ask you this … who actually sets these rules, opinions and views? Where does this pressure come from? Are we all contributing to this? For example, who came up with the idea that we should not say “Merry Christmas” but instead wish people to have a “happy festive season”.  Who exactly gets offended or hurt by me sharing Christmas wishes? Are we overreacting slightly? 

Or why am I accused of being racist when I say that I don’t like how people in Bristol treated the statue of Edward Colston. My opinion has nothing to do with race, I just think it was vandalism. And maybe not even the fact of pulling the statute down as a sign of protest, but the fact that they threw it into the water. They polluted water and caused additional expense related to fishing the statue out of the canal. Surely pulling it down sent a strong enough signal. But as soon as I say so out loud then I am ignorant, I don’t understand discrimination and am racist. Really? 

Other examples are our political views, take Brexit. How many times have you seen somebody being judged or criticised for having the opposite view? If you had an opinion that did not agree with the other side, then you immediately were stupid, uneducated, shortsighted, unpatriotic, pro-European or ignorant. Neither of the sides would allow for the other to have its opinion. Just as much neither of the sides would listen to what the other one has to say. Each was convinced of its righteousness and would not even entertain another point of view. And there you have it  – a country divided. For the record I was against Brexit – no surprise here, I come from EU. 

A real example of such social pressure. A friend of mine posted on social media her opinion regarding teachers during the COVID lockdown. In a tongue in cheek way, she said that teachers have been on holidays for the majority of the year. Even though it was meant more as a joke than an actual opinion piece, an avalanche of comments followed. She was called names, was accused of ignorance and told how very wrong she is. No one bothered to explain why they disagree with her statement. Ultimately my friend ended up apologising for the post. Not because she believed that she should or that she was wrong, but because she was afraid of consequences that post might have on her business.

The disproportional bias

There seems to be a disproportional bias toward certain groups. This might be related to gender, sexual orientation, age or race. We are trying to be so PC that sometimes we don’t make choices based on merit but only to tick the boxes of some inclusion metrics. I am not convinced that a black female promoted to a commissioner role in the police feels so great about it when her colleagues gossip behind her back that she only got the job because of her skin colour or gender. Isn’t that just a different form of discrimination?

The same goes for gay people on practically every programme on TV. I honestly have nothing against, but I also don’t feel that they need to be represented on absolutely everything I watch. Just because a gay person is not included in every episode of my favourite soap, doesn’t mean the programme is discriminating. But if I would voice this openly, then I am convinced someone would call me a homophobe. People would either refrain from comments altogether in fear of exposure (particularly if they agree) or would chastise me from top to bottom. I am not allowed to have an opinion because it is not in line with the general one.

So is freedom of speech dying?

Of course, I understand that some topics become more current or prevalent, and in result, receive a higher level of exposure. For example the recent “Me too” movement or the “black lives matter.” And that is right and correct, but I don’t think I need to be told what I should think about it. I can make up my own mind and decide how I feel. I also would like to have the right to have that opinion and be able to voice it when asked without fear of negative consequences. I sense, however, that I am not able to do so.  I am convinced that we are no longer free to say what we think. I believe that society puts such pressure on us and our views that we instinctively know that it is possibly better not to share it. 

This way of thinking might be a sign of me getting older and not keeping up with the new times. Maybe the younger generations don’t see it the same way as I do. I am not sure.  Regardless I firmly believe that freedom of speech is one of these fundamental rights that we have. We should protect and cherish it. We should respect other people’s opinions and allow everyone to have them. Not judge but consider, there is merit in every point of view as long as we are willing to see it.