FREE SPEECH: Is It Really Free?

about 4 years ago

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When you hear the word/phrase "Free Speech " what comes to your mind?

The conventional human was created with a mouth and inside that mouth, there is seated a tongue, with teeth arranged in an oval order surrounding the tongue( this is known as the dentition in man). The possession of and tongue enables man to be able to produce sounds when growing right from being an infant to a toddler, as the growth of humans occurs from childhood so does the teeth and eventually, on the approach of childhood, humans are able to speak and say word's felt and instigated by the brain.

In the days of old, were slavery well practice the slaves were in the chain, some couldn't speak out of fear from their masters, a majority of others' lips were bounded by padlocks enabling not to bring out words instigated by the brain.

Some powers and forces oppressed humans of old not allowing them to speak, veiling their minds. Slavery isn't only being bounded in physical chains but be in bondage by an authority or power not having that freedom to do as one pleases is slavery. In 1948, there was a universal declaration of human rights and thanks to this, freedom of speech was among the fundamentals signed into the human rights bill.

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But despite this, are we all still free to speak?

Years after the freedom of speech bill has been passed, there were still some limitations in some parts of the world. But with time traveling and modernization, free speech has become a norm in today's world. Where we all can say what we want to, expressing our feelings.

I asked initially what comes to our mind when we hear the word/phrase " Free Speech ". I think it's going to be fair to tell you what comes to mine. Free speech to me is the freedom of veiling one's opinions without being held down by an authority or power.
As a child growing up in the African society, respect to the elderly is a norm but at times the elderly misread this respect accorded to them as fear. I was the normal shy, quiet and introverted kid you will find in any class. I wasn't the jovial or social type but a day came that I had to exercise my free speech which leads to the school sending for my mum.

A school teacher of mine said a lie against me and some of my classmates, and when called into the principal office. We gave our submission of what really happened in the classroom. But our school teacher said the opposite, yelling at us so that we will stumble to his own words. I kept on my stance. And he asked a question, "Are you saying that I am a liar?" And my reply was, " Sir you are lying and only liars tell lies"
Well, my freedom of speech set us free but I was demanded to call my mum to school for being disrespectful to my teacher. And I was forced to the school authority to apologize to my teacher for just expressing my fundamental human rights.

My experience in high school is not only the case where free speech is being limited in today's world. In some workplaces, employees can't veil their minds out because of the fear of being quitted from their jobs. Also, free speech is also being limited in other aspects of life.

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Let's take a look at social media for example and censorship. There was a time on Facebook when users were being banned because they talk and advertise Cryptocurrency on their page.
A friend told me some days back, that his wife's account was banned on twitter because she uses her account to share some Cryptocurrency airdrops and bounties.

There are a number of social media platforms out there forcing users to do their own biddings and not exercising their right to speak because of some unfair censorship rules and regulations

In essence, free speech isn't really free even with the universal freedom of speech bill. There are still authorities and powers stopping our rights of free speech.

In my submission, I will say free speech is something that should be given to all humans irrespective of race, age, gender, and status quo. For humans are born free to explore the world and we shouldn't be bounded by any unlawful powers. Because the only lawful power out there should be our freedom to express ourselves as humans.