Freedom of Speech | Teen Ink

Freedom of Speech

January 12, 2017
By M.Coolio SILVER, Eureka, Missouri
M.Coolio SILVER, Eureka, Missouri
9 articles 0 photos 2 comments

You are allowed to speak. I’m allowed to speak. We are both allowed to say whatever we want, to who we wish. Our words may be of harm, lies, truth, or kindness. We are especially both allowed to disagree with each other. That is our privilege, our right, and our freedom. Our freedom of speech. I believe everyone should be able to voice their opinions on any subject anywhere. Freedom of speech is a human right, a law, and a tool.
 

Freedom of speech is technically a national law, but globally a human entitlement. In 1948 United Nations wrote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, stating in Article 19, “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”  There are countries like United States that continuously respect and exercise the human and lawful right of freedom of speech. But there are some countries that persistently oppress freedom of speech. Fidel Castro, the former president of Cuba, created a system called Committees for The Defense Revolution, which was townsmen informing on each other. This system ended up sentencing thousands of dissenting individuals to prison or forced labor in Cuba. In 1989 in Beijing, China, thousands of Chinese nonconformist protesters were murdered in what is now called the Tiananmen Square massacre by their own government’s troops. Both these acts are severe violations of Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These are corrupt unhuman acts! Implementing the human right to freedom of speech obviously causes national lawful disagreement.
 

The sign read “Race mixing is communism,” held by boy in 1959. It was at a protest of opposing school integration in Little Rock, Arkansas. These unkind words are permitted to be said through the non-censorship law of freedom of speech from then and now. It’s impossible to get everyone in a country, or in the world, to approve and agree with each other’s opinions. People are allowed under freedom of speech to voice any opinion they wish. However, censorship of people is wrong.  If freedom of speech is not given to everyone it would ultimately cause inequality, oppression, and a much harsher discrimination. Freedom of speech should not be given as a privilege to few, but given as a lawful right to all. This law may separate groupings, but unites everyone by the ability to use it as tool to express themselves.
 

When a person says the name Martin Luther King Jr. someone may think of either the activist himself, a speech, or a movement. If we, Americans, live in a society without freedom of speech and a person speaks the name Martin Luther King Jr., probably everyone’s first thought would be who? Freedom of speech gives voice to billions of people. We are all able to use our voice. No matter who we are, where we come from, or what we stand for, we may, under this human right and law, use it as a tool to freely express ourselves and share our stories.
 

The law Freedom of Speech gives people the right and tool to express their opinions freely without restraint. It’s truly criminal that not all human beings may have the ability to possess or use it. Discrimination is prone to using the law. But the inspiration from the amazing voices that arise from this law drowns all hateful words. We are all able to listen to whoever’s voice and discuss whatever topic we desire. It may be bring hate; however, it will surely bring kindness. Every human anywhere should be able to voice their opinions on anything. All humans are born and gifted with voices. Everyone should have the right to use their voices!
 



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