Freedom of Speech and Respect

Freedom of speech is just that – it’s a freedom. Any control on speech relinquishes the very idea of liberty. Anyone who has to use their civil right to speak freely already engages in the ideology surrounding such a privilege. For example, if the person who wants to spread their message is doing so in a place that the message does not want to be heard, are they not infringing on the listeners’ freedoms? It’s not the actual message that infringes on the freedom of speech, but the respect of human rights.

No human being should be forced to do anything. This raises an eyebrow to the parents who have paid 200,000 dollars for their son’s education, or the accident victim who is told they’ll never walk again. Don’t these people “force” themselves past what they think is possible to achieve the end results? The key word in this question is: results. When forced to get through law school or to walk without a brace to reach a certain result is more likely considered to be labeled tenacity or determination. Furthermore, the decision to go on is made from within the person making the choice, not from the outside sources. When decisions are made from outside sources, this is a form of slavery.

And – this is wrong.

To speak publicly where people have the choice to listen or to leave is truly the best definition of the freedom of speech. To loudly proclaim the same message through a megaphone outside of an apartment building should be grounds for arrest. People who do this in the name of the freedom of speech are robbing the apartment dwellers of their freedom to leave.
So, to answer the question of “When does the freedom of speech go too far”? The better question would be, “To what degree does the speaker respect his or her listeners?”

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