Freedom of Speech: What Is The Limit?
The right to have freedom of speech is for all human beings, and those who live in democratic governments have it guaranteed, even though its degree varies from one country to another. This right is essential for us to be governed with justice, and for us to fight for ourselves. Unfortunately, many use this right as an argument to spread hatred. Thus an important question must be asked; where does one draw the line concerning freedom of expression?
In Brazil, there is a clear example of people exploiting the right to freedom of speech by spreading fake news as a political strategy. What continues to unnerve citizens is that many, including Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, claim that this type of attitude is within the realms of freedom of speech.
Another example is the famous case of Jordan Peterson, a psychologist and professor at the University of Toronto, who believes he does not need to respect Canadian Bill C-16 law, regarding respecting the pronouns of transgender and non-binary people. According to Peterson, forcing someone to respect pronouns would enter the field of authoritarianism, which goes against freedom of expression.
Thousands of cases could be cited where this type of flawed argument is used to defend immoral things as vile words turn into vile physical actions. However, as citizens, it must first be remembered that we live in a society. We are not living individually, therefore we have rules. It would be impossible for everyone, at the same time, to be completely free and do everything desired. The differences in interests make it impossible for everyone to be completely free in all aspects without consequences. The real problem is where to find the limit between individual and collective freedom. With this “lack” of a clear line defining the limits, many try to find a loophole to justify hate speech by regarding it as merely an opinion. This hate speech, not only incites more prejudice and violence but directly hurts the collective freedom of people. Jeopardizing someone’s freedom through insults and brutal speech is dehumanizing. Within a modern democracy, everyone should be respected as citizens and using one’s freedom to attack another’s is in itself an undemocratic act.
The philosophical debate on this subject has been going on for a long time. Since the 17th century, freedom of expression has been guaranteed as a fundamental right in the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen”. Great thinkers like Hobbes and Locke have already discussed the limits of freedom dating back to the 17th century. However, there is still no concrete answer to its limits. What does exist, however, is the fact that you can’t use your right to violate someone else in any form. If someone endangers the freedom of the other or disrespects someone’s fundamental right, they will be engaging in unethical behavior and could even respond in court, depending on the law of their country. If a country does not take care of this matter, it’s up to the citizens to educate themselves by any means necessary. The unrest of the people can then push the government to properly do its job. Acts of injustice disguised as freedom of expression must be scolded.
Sources:
“Bolsonaro diz que projeto de fake news limita liberdade de expressão”, Agência Brasil, 18 june 2020 — https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/politica/noticia/2020-07/bolsonaro-diz-que-projeto-de-fake-news-limita-liberdade-de-expressao
“Toronto professor Jordan Peterson takes on gender-neutral pronouns”, BBC News, 4 November 2016 — https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37875695
Universal Declaration of Human Rights — https://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/
