The Two Major Tenets of Democracy

The Two Major Tenets of Democracy

Freedom of speech and freedom of thought are two major tenets of Democracy and one is therefore inclined to believe that they should not be curbed in any way. Nonetheless, there appears to be a point where it is better for certain things to remain unsaid. In recent times, the right to freely voice one´s opinion has caused social problems, spawning hatred and violence worldwide. Thus, I do not support completely unrestricted freedom of speech. And an important point to take into account is who is to dictate what can or cannot be expressed and how it is expressed. Should there be laws? Should we rely on own private conscience?

First of all, it is my conviction that all members of society regardless of religion, beliefs, ethnicity, skin colour, nation of origin or sexuality should be granted equal respect. This means one cannot always speak with impunity. When speech is too free it can do a lot of damage to the social order, causing harm, inciting violence and even murder. A clear example of this are the 2005 French riots. The rioters burned cars and public buildings to give vent to their rage and resentment incited by years of oppression and marginalization. The situation worsened when the interior minister called the rioters “scums”. Freedom goes hand in hand with responsibility and to my mind neither the rioters nor the government used free speech responsibly. The former burnt down their own community and the latter publicly denigrated and insulted the troublemakers instead of trying to get to the gist of the problem.

There is another side to the issue of freedom of speech. The American government is introducing new legislation against the incitement of homophobic hatred, which is now a criminal offence. Although this new law is intended to help deal with the prejudice against the gay community and it is true that words can incite hatred and inspire violence, to what extent does the government have the right to make all homophobes criminals for...

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