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Posts: 11,700 | Thanked: 10,045 times | Joined on Jun 2006 @ North Texas, USA
#219
Originally Posted by geneven View Post
The funny thing is, I thought that believers in free speech were secretly in favor of it even in private forums, too. I thought that most people living in democracies wanted freedom all over the place, not just where it was legally required. I thought that even on Lost people were always voting on which way to go because they shared a certain point of view, and they wanted to hear each other out.

So now I understand that some people think that freedom of speech is just a far-out point of view that you adhere to only when you think the police will be called in when you don't. That's very interesting, and a surprise.

It's also interesting to me that a citizen can write an Open Letter to Nokia and send it to virtually any newspaper in the country and have a decent chance of its being published.

Except that same citizen is forbidden by these rules from publishing that same letter here. At least that's how I interpret them.
I won't speak for everyone, but I'm certainly in favor of absolutely free and protected speech everywhere. But I'm also a realist.

I know that shouting "fire" in a crowded theater, if a lie, is not protected. I know I will suffer consequences.

I know that text in online forums doesn't fall under the same protections that speech in physical public venues does.

I know that completely free speech in an online forum tends to degrade the ability to hold meaningful discussion, and ironically undermines the exercise of free speech for the community.

I know that even in physical, public venues, I am being an abusive @$$ if I use my free speech to shout down another exercising his or hers.

I know that Justice Holmes was correct when he said my right to swing my arms stops just short of another person's nose.

I know that rank hyperbole, snide commentary and logical fallacies undermine rational speech.

I also know that the guidelines here don't forbid an open letter to Nokia, and I can't imagine where and how you derive such an extreme interpretation. But if you see an opportunity to improve the guidelines, your freely-spoken contribution is most certainly welcome.

EDIT: I also know that even the mildly restricted speech here is more than is allowed the citizens of some countries. Perspective is helpful.
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Last edited by Texrat; 2010-06-24 at 23:29.
 

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