Great power with great responsibility
Is free speech always good? Hivda Aydogan explores the power and responsibility behind our words
Free speech is a human right. When we think of humanity, we primarily think that we should be able to use our voices in instances where they need to be heard. As conflict in the world continues to worsen, as terror invades society, as injustice spreads around the world, as opinions contradict and cause two sides of an opposing war – our need to use our voice grows more urgent every waking day.
There is an element of normality that comes with using our voice due to the countless situations and topics we must discuss. However, we need to stop and ask ourselves – is this a good or a bad thing? It is no secret that society can’t agree on everything.
Humanity has normalised conflict as a response to contradicting opinions and opposing sides of the same story. This has created a strong divide that can be called ‘Internal War’. We usually associate war with fighting, guns, bombs and countries hugely affected by conflict; war can be more than this; war can be defined as hatred. Hatred - the pure agony of despising something or despising an opinion to the point where your feelings stir and churn so hotly in your stomach that they are not containable – this is war to me.
In this era of the instant, angry response, the rights that we’re born with could potentially be our downfall. Our right to exercise what we think and feel could be the end of humanity as we know it. Dramatic? Maybe. Hypothetically speaking, most of the power that a human possesses comes not from brute strength and force, but from the intelligence of our minds and our voices . The sad truth is that morality is a gift that not all humans possess equally. As humans, sometimes we speak our thoughts when they are not needed, not fair, or not justified and being aware of the boundaries is often difficult.
Free speech is a wonderful yet cruel thing. Free speech is needed to keep civilians worldwide from being silenced completely by those in power. Free speech is the last right that should not be taken away from us. The right to talk and explain to the world how you think and feel with others is a comforting thought on the surface. Speaking makes us feel less alone as we find common ground with others. This is a feeling most people would gladly welcome.
But here's the thing. Free speech is a right that humans drowning in hatred have taken for granted. We all rely on words - they are our salvation, yet also our undoing. Words are our journey to a better world, and our journey into hell on Earth. What happens when good people’s voices are muffled by the sound of loathing? What happens when ‘free speech’ turns into a perceived god–given right to inflict pain on those who have done nothing to deserve it? We have all heard of infamous dictators. Dictators who found power by realising the strength that lies beneath the cruel mix of hatred, prejudice and words. These dictators have noticed humans can be all too easily influenced, so they abuse their privilege of free speech to get the masses on their side and stir division among communities.
There are two sides to the freedom we know as speech: the side in which we use speech to make a positive impact and the other in which words are used with negative intention and can involve words of racism, homophobia, misogyny, misandry, political violence and injustice. We all need to realise that there is strength in words and how we use them.
What we say can wreck and build worlds alike. While the beauty of free speech bringing harmony and equality echoes in humanity's ears; the potential for chaos and carnage is never far from the surface. We do need freedom of speech; it is our right, but we all have a responsibility to ensure that we use that right wisely and humanely for the common good and stand up to those who would use it to divide us.
Hivda Aydogan, Year 10
Free speech is a human right. When we think of humanity, we primarily think that we should be able to use our voices in instances where they need to be heard. As conflict in the world continues to worsen, as terror invades society, as injustice spreads around the world, as opinions contradict and cause two sides of an opposing war – our need to use our voice grows more urgent every waking day.
There is an element of normality that comes with using our voice due to the countless situations and topics we must discuss. However, we need to stop and ask ourselves – is this a good or a bad thing? It is no secret that society can’t agree on everything.
Humanity has normalised conflict as a response to contradicting opinions and opposing sides of the same story. This has created a strong divide that can be called ‘Internal War’. We usually associate war with fighting, guns, bombs and countries hugely affected by conflict; war can be more than this; war can be defined as hatred. Hatred - the pure agony of despising something or despising an opinion to the point where your feelings stir and churn so hotly in your stomach that they are not containable – this is war to me.
In this era of the instant, angry response, the rights that we’re born with could potentially be our downfall. Our right to exercise what we think and feel could be the end of humanity as we know it. Dramatic? Maybe. Hypothetically speaking, most of the power that a human possesses comes not from brute strength and force, but from the intelligence of our minds and our voices . The sad truth is that morality is a gift that not all humans possess equally. As humans, sometimes we speak our thoughts when they are not needed, not fair, or not justified and being aware of the boundaries is often difficult.
Free speech is a wonderful yet cruel thing. Free speech is needed to keep civilians worldwide from being silenced completely by those in power. Free speech is the last right that should not be taken away from us. The right to talk and explain to the world how you think and feel with others is a comforting thought on the surface. Speaking makes us feel less alone as we find common ground with others. This is a feeling most people would gladly welcome.
But here's the thing. Free speech is a right that humans drowning in hatred have taken for granted. We all rely on words - they are our salvation, yet also our undoing. Words are our journey to a better world, and our journey into hell on Earth. What happens when good people’s voices are muffled by the sound of loathing? What happens when ‘free speech’ turns into a perceived god–given right to inflict pain on those who have done nothing to deserve it? We have all heard of infamous dictators. Dictators who found power by realising the strength that lies beneath the cruel mix of hatred, prejudice and words. These dictators have noticed humans can be all too easily influenced, so they abuse their privilege of free speech to get the masses on their side and stir division among communities.
There are two sides to the freedom we know as speech: the side in which we use speech to make a positive impact and the other in which words are used with negative intention and can involve words of racism, homophobia, misogyny, misandry, political violence and injustice. We all need to realise that there is strength in words and how we use them.
What we say can wreck and build worlds alike. While the beauty of free speech bringing harmony and equality echoes in humanity's ears; the potential for chaos and carnage is never far from the surface. We do need freedom of speech; it is our right, but we all have a responsibility to ensure that we use that right wisely and humanely for the common good and stand up to those who would use it to divide us.
Hivda Aydogan, Year 10