Parrhesia — When Freedom of Speech Backfires
Does anyone have the right to speak freely anymore? Or have the limits of free speech gone too far?
Many people in America are proud that they’re able to speak so freely in a country that boasts about freedom. Little do most realize that our freedom of speech is heavily censored and only the few most elite truly have the freedom to speak their mind.
Parrhesia is a term first introduced by the Ancient Greeks, mainly Plato, who wrote on the subject numerous times. Michel Foucault also goes into depth about the meaning of the word and how it relates to society from a more modern perspective. Parrhesia is basically translated as “free speech.” Parrhesiastes are the ones who use parrhesia, the ones who “speak the truth.”
In a democracy like America, everyone should have an equal say, right? Maybe in theory, but in reality the average everyday citizen in America has little to no voice on certain issues. None of us hold the same freedom of speech as our current president Donald Trump or other members of congress. As citizens we all have a voice, but the problem is not everyone (or anyone at all) will be able to hear our voice.
Another issue Foucault talks about is that because everyone has a voice, even the ignorant, bad, and immoral citizens are able to have a say in democracy. The issue with that? The immoral and “bad” citizens are usually constructed by our government and people in power. So far in Trump’s presidential term, we’ve seen Muslims, immigrants, Mexicans, poor people, and women described as being the “bad” in society.
In recent news, UC Berkeley has come under fire about denying far right nut job Milo Yiannopoulos the right to speak on the campus after a peaceful campus protest turned violent. Yiannopoulos, who has been banned from twitter for “inciting or engaging in the targeted abuse or harassment of others,” is well known for his racist, sexist, bigoted, far right ideals. He has also been described as an online troll who fuels hateful speech towards those who don’t agree with him. This is the issue.
One report tells of an event Yiannopoulos held at the University of Milwaukee and his derogatory actions and words against a transgender student.
Are Yiannopoulos’ ideals truly free speech? Or is it just hate speech under the guise of talking freely. Like Foucault writes, any immoral or bad citizen has equal say.
The protests at UC Berkeley against Yiannopoulos’ speech were peaceful. Both right wing and left wing expressing their ability to use parrhesia, until a group of 100 or so agitators came from outside of campus and turned the protest violent. Now, Berkeley is under fire for denying free speech at a place that started the entire movement. Donald Trump has even threatened to remove federal funding for the university, something he doesn’t actually have the power to do, but a scary threat to researchers nonetheless.
While university officials verified that the 100 violent agitators were unaffiliated with the peaceful protesters, right wing news outlets used the opportunity to attack the campus and liberal beliefs.
How can freedom of speech be truly be considered free if one side is censored in the news? Parrhesia is something all people in society should be able to use, but if ones parrhesiatic speech conflicts the beliefs of those higher up in our society, their voice gets silenced out or shunned as false.
Once again President Donald Trump has shown us how sensitive his feelings truly are. He’s able to use his freedom of speech on twitter every single day, but when any negative news about him shows up, it’s immediately considered fake news.
Oh boy. It’s clear that not everyone has the same equality in their voice and right to speak freely as the elite in our country. If anyone reports or talks about Trump negatively, he immediately accuses it of being fake, and even goes as far as to saying they should be punished.
The dangerous thing Trump is doing is attacking news sources that commonly expose the truth in situations and instead is making them out to be fabricated new stories uninterested in truth or “alternate facts” as some of his followers call it. If Trump calls a news source fake and firmly stands his ground, many of his followers will believe him as well.
The elites maintain true power in using parrhesia, getting their voices heard across nations, and while the average citizen is capable of using it, their voices are rarely heard.
