The Problem with Free Speech – A speech to members of the UN

Do we all have freedom to say whatever we want and act upon it? Or do we have a right to say anything within a set of restrictions?

Freedom of speech is the expression of beliefs and ideas without unwarranted government restriction. New ideas flourish from this power to speak our mind with no inhibitions. The root of journalism is based within free speech as it allows reports to be made that are truthful and uncensored. It seems such a long time ago that letters from home were being changed and discarded before reaching the recipients in World War 2. And to solve this, a Freedom of Speech act was passed. But it's certainly not solving everything.

On a smaller scale, within the school environment, children are bullied and barraged with hate speech. In Cadillac, Michigan, this exact thing happened. Alex Harrisson was constantly being accused of peeking into girls' bedrooms and was taunted throughout his years at school. So he took his own life. If unregulated speech is causing so much harm, should it be allowed? Is the ability to speak your mind worth the potential consequences?

Free speech also allows for extreme and prejudiced views to come to light. Britain First, an anti-Muslim political party, recently launched their “Ban the Burka” campaign. Essentially it's the first step towards a white, Christian Britain. This party raids mosques and burns the Qur'an in the name of their Christian God and the victims of 9/11 and other terrorist attacks. Clearly, not all Muslims are terrorists, and not all terrorists are Muslims. It is a vast exaggeration to assume that they might be. According to the UN, they are allowed to exist as a party. But they stretch far beyond free speech. They are inciting violence against groups within our society. This shouldn't be happening. This is the main reason why free speech is such a difficult thing to