The Might of the Speech

We’re told that this is a democracy…America is not. It is a constitutional republic. We’re told we can say whatever we wish. We cannot. In speech, we can say only that which is not malicious or threatening. What happens when words engender the start of force? What happens when instead of bullets and bombs, syllables and diction become weaponized?

Private civilians and organizations ought to have the power to increase or shut down voices on whatever platform that speaker may go against. In a recent post, an Internet user mentioned that prominent figures can take in those who may upset the cart in the realm of rhetoric.

While the United States may protect individual rights (as it should), there still remain tangles and barbs that obstruct the way that people speak. Government entities should not be telling people what they can and cannot say, barring of course, specific violent words against others.

At the crossroads of this country now nearing two hundred fifty years in existence, it is important to remember just what we stand for in all of this. When it becomes so odious to engage in civil discourse that we have to reduce ourselves and stoop to the level of an animal with a high-powered rifle, that’s devastating.

Freedom of speech is part of the First Amendment for a reason. It inculcates in individuals and permits them to launch entire campaigns and debates. It gives clarity to the messenger while not shooting the messenger. What gives rise to the speaker and the listener is the matter of dissent. The right to speak liberally means that someone will disagree with what the speaker says. That’s the point. Free speech doesn’t require sitting around a campfire holding hands and singing. No. Free speech is about being up in your face, brazen, harsh, cold, mean, nasty, and disturbing at times.

Now of course in the halls of academia, the battlegrounds for free speech, professors may warn students of tough language and harsh physical displays out of courtesy. What is hardly discussed is the fact that people in American colleges and universities don’t realize how precious this right to voice the mind is. They may not realize that in certain countries, we cannot deny specific events that actually happened. In the United States, we can. As long as we don’t speak with malicious intent, we are granted the ability to issue verbal garbage.

In the time that has passed in this country’s glorious history, we must remember that the recognition of property rights is the only way that we get to say almost whatever we want. In text and on the microphone, we don’t have to earn our words as those active warriors must do. It’s interesting to note how the defenders of the Constitution must refrain from speaking their minds in most contexts.

In order to preserve this precious freedom, we have to be able to sustain whatever challenges to our core beliefs and look at the entire situation. We just have to recognize the power of the tongue and the keypad. Life surges with the might of the speech that politicians should be safeguarding. They should only be protecting this right among the other rights as well. That’s it. There should be no alphabet soup of government agencies who trample over rights and throttle individuals and businesses.

Such should be true for bringing to the fore the idea that we can extend our lives, enrich our experiences, and encourage ourselves to get out there and just talk. To express grievances about faith, governments, policies, and sports, is the hallmark of this noble nation. It is in our self-interest to show that we’re worthy of the principles and ideals outlined by the Founders. Everything we do ought to be geared towards the sense of knowing that the law will uphold vitriol and spite. To play nice and have etiquette and composure is just a way of being civilized. By being direct and patient with words we disagree with, we steer the conversation into a place of understanding even if the person on the opposite side of our words is an incorrigible buffoon.

While we do not live in a free country, (too many regulations and controls bar us from this freedom) we can at least continue to remain vocal about the riddance of political violence. In fact, all forms of beginning physical violence ought to be plucked out like a fractured tooth. Words that remain “offensive” or antagonize ought to be championed within the framework of discourse.

If we are to advance this country into an even greater, higher place, we must exalt the name of free speech and continue to fight for our ability to talk. In the grand way that people often speak of America, it usually contains some references to the geography. Whole songs have been dedicated to mountains, oceans, islands, and golden grainfields. That’s not what America is about. This country is about ideas. It is about the convergence of thought applied to the problems of maintaining life and flourishing. Whenever there is some disagreement between or among members of the populace, it is important to remember that every drop of blood spilt for this country came as the cost for us to be able to fix our mouths or power up our electronic devices.

This country is about spreading those ideas and generating a strong tower of recognition of the flame of freedom. It burns based on the fuel of our words. We are empowered to write our novels and plays and films and poems and essays to display the thread of thought that colors our existence. It is crucial that critical thinking remains the mainstay of the fabric of America. Just to say word salads and nonsense should be protected, of course, but we ought to aim for a greater cause. Everything we say should carry the peculiar history and aspire to forge a future that encompasses all of the truths about this nation without embellishment. Every day we ought to fight for discussion without pause.