Taking a Stand

I was reading a blog post by a white man who was talking about how he would not condemn or dismiss the words of another white man, even though said other white man was saying just about the most vile things imaginable. His reasons were, of course, 'freedom of speech.' And, as usual, he seems to misunderstand what that means. I think a lot of the problems we're having right now is because people want to keep speech as open as possible, to the point that even when it gets dangerous, ridiculous, or insane, we still don't step in.

Freedom of Speech.

Okay, so people should be allowed to say things about the government without fear of the government arresting them for it. Of course, even with that, there needs to be limits. Actively planning to kill a government official is still an act of trying to kill someone. Saying things that cause riots or cause mass amounts of damage should also be kept in check.

I also think there is a level of responsibility we need to have when we know people listen to us. If you have a blog with a large following, your words are having a pretty large impact. If you know that someone else has a blog with a large following and you know that they are saying horrible things, I think you have a responsibility to speak about this, especially if your followers overlap. I don't think you are messing with someone's freedom of speech if you say they're an idiot. They can still say what they want, but you're certainly within your rights to tell your followers that they're completely wrong.

Often, however, you'll find that when people have overlapping followers, they won't do this. In part, I believe it's because they don't want to stir the pot. They don't want to get everyone fighting and taking sides. This can be a problem especially when your followers have a marked level of rabid loyalty and instability.I think there is also some hesitation when you and the other person tend to agree on at least some issues, especially if you feel those issues mark you as out of the mainstream thinking.

This, however, is the reason why extremist voices are always the ones that are the loudest. There may be ten million of your group who are reasonable and moderate, but because you don't shut those extremists with the radical ideas up, that is how you are defined. The radicals make the most noise, get the most press, and before you know it, they have the most power. The moment when you could have shut the down has passed. Before you know it, your message is lost in hate, violence, and insanity. Everyone else sees no merit in your stance. We've seen this happen over and over.

So if you find yourself in that position where you need to tell someone with extreme versions of your ideas to shut the hell up, tell them. It's sometimes scary to do this, but far less awful than what could happen otherwise.