Thursday, January 14, 2010

To Speak or Not to Speak

In this winter term of 2010 I am taking a class on Free Speech and Censorship. The subject we have been touching on is self-censorship in all aspects of life. The fact is that we are trained from a young age that it is inappropriate to speak on certain subjects depending on the situation and people we're talking to. But why is it that certain subjects are taboo around certain people? Think, for instance, of your family gatherings. Are your family members open to having a conversation about politics, sports, religion, abortion, and other sensitive subjects? Or are these topics discouraged because your grandparents or parents, aunts or uncles would get offended and then angry leading to a complete shutdown of any dialogue?
Or think of your facebook page. Is there content that you don't post or privatize because you are friends with family or employers? Why do you not make this content public?
Another scenario might be that you are in a conversation in which someone says something that offends someone else, will you correct the offender or do you let it go thinking it's not your fight to fight?
As a country, the U.S. is all for Freedom of Speech, but why is it that we don't practice or allow it when it comes to topics that make us uncomfortable? In my opinion, we suffer more from self-censorship as it is based on the fear of what other people might think of us. In censoring ourselves, we take away from dialogue that it is important to fully understanding a topic and how it influences ours and others' lives. Removing self-censors, however, is something that has to be practiced. Only through practice can we get past the grip of that uncomfortable feeling.

What examples do you have of self-censorship and what do you think of it?

-Nicolle

No comments:

Post a Comment