Free Speech

I know I said I didn't have time for the blog but I am going to try to make it work because I do enjoy writing blog posts.

Today's post is on free speech.    Free Speech gets talked about a great deal but it always amazes me how many people really don't understand what it truely means.   And more to the point how often people confuse it with the 1st amendment here in the United States.

The 1st amendment says that "The government shall make no law" regarding free speech, meaning you cannot be oppressed or arrested for speaking against the government.   Yet I have see situations where people feel their free speech is supressed and mention free speech.

It's simply amazing how many people clearly don't know anything about the 1st amendment.  What makes it worse is that the people who don't really seem to know anything about it are people that are my age.

What these people who feel they are getting their speech supressed really are talking about is Free Speech.   And even then they get it wrong.

Free Speech means you have the right to say what you wish to say, it doesn't mean there can't or won't be consequences for said speech.   This is unrealistic and this is never how free speech has worked.

You cannot, for example yell "Fire" in a crowded movie theater (Not sure if it's the same rule for yelling "Movie Theater" in a crowded fire house) and if you go up to your boss at work and call him a name, he can still fire you.

Another for instance, there was a guy about my age who was kicked of a Southwest Airlines plane because his shirt had a swear word on it.   The Southwest employee gave him the option of covering up the shirt or turning it inside out to cover it up.  He refused and he cited his right to free speech but was kicked off.

Some people mistakenly in comment sections said that this was a violation of his Free Speech.  Well no, no it was not.  He has the right to free speech, but there can be consequences for his speech.   Not to mention his shirt was a clear violation of the airlines "Contract of Carriage" rules, so regardless of those people who thought he would have a case to sue, the kid would lose in court.

People have to understand, just because you can say something, doesn't always mean you should