Should I Speak UP?

_{Image by Markus Winkler}

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In countries all over the world, it has been signed into the constitution and is a human right. And what is this? The right to freedom of speech. This gives everyone the freedom to say whatever they want to anybody whatsoever without fear or hate.

For a long time before modern civilization, this was not the case. In ancient kingdoms, one could not just talk anyhow in the open. You could not talk rubbish about a King or patriarch of a community and not expect a backlash. The poor could not even dream of looking at the rich without there being some serious repercussions, not to talk of holding a conversation with them.

Well, thank God for modern civilization, we do not have that kind of sword dangling constantly over our heads, waiting to swing the moment we said anything that was out of line. We all had freedom of speech now. But then, do we really?

It turns out that there are limitations to just how free your speech can actually be.

Once what you are saying is intentional to designed to spread false information, whether about a person or an object, then that is a crime and it is punishable by the law.

_{Image by Alexandre Pellaes}

Also, once what you are saying is meant to incite unrest and violence in an environment, like hate speeches, such fiery words are given to rile people up so that they would cause chaos and wreak havoc in the society.

There are some others as well, but basically when what you are saying is true and does not incite violence or cause riots, then you are free to say it. Long live freedom of speech!

But then, let us be honest with ourselves, is that truly how it works these days?

Now we have social media platforms scattered all over the place, there are algorithms in place that scan every word that you put upon them. They look out not just for NSFW words but also words with strong undertones like “hate”, “kill” and the like. That is why sometimes, in a Facebook post you will see something like “hate” or “kll”. Or other variations that keep on coming out on daily basis. These are done just so that they can fool the algorithms and still pass their message across.

_{Image by Camilo Jimenez}

This is how most platforms are censored, they control the kind of messages that are sent on their platforms as long as it is in the public space.

So most of the time, the only time we get the freedom of speech is in private chats or in the privacy of our various homes. Because in this digital age, you have to be careful what you say, you could just be upsetting someone somewhere.

Please note that I am not speaking against the censors that the creator of these platforms put in place because without them the social media space will be a madhouse. People will lose whatever little control they have and place anything and everything on their online handles to get the likes and follows. So the censors still keep them in check.

And when you are found to neglect their rules, you will either be suspended or banned from the platform.

Basically, why am I even making this post? Just to remind everyone of us that we do have freedom of speech. And let us use it right. When we want to speak up either for or against something, whether in person or on social media, we can do it like civilized people and not resort to insults, name-calling, or using curse words.

_{Image by Allessandro Bellone}

Because these days, as life seems to get tougher, no one is really happy with the way it is treating them, so any little thing can set off a chain reaction, and before you know it would be a bloodbath.

Your speech is a very powerful tool, it can create and destroy in a few minutes something that was built in a few decades. Whenever we open up our mouths to speak, we have to be intentional about what it is we have to say and make sure that whatever comes out of that mouth could be defended us.

If I was not sure about this, then there should be no point saying it to everyone.

Unfortunately, people are never really sure of more than half of the things they put out on social media. They go and pull content off a blog somewhere and pass it off as theirs. Unknown to them, the contents they had created were fake. And as they spread it, they will no doubt cause more havoc and violence in society.

So, my dear friends, as we go forth into the week, remember to be intentional about everything you wish to do. It might not be easy, but with persistent and hard work you will surely get there. While you have freedom of speech, remember to always use your wisdom when speaking. It could be the difference between life and death.

_{Image by Naassom Azevedo}

Thank you for reading, till we meet in person.

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