Where have Parrhesiastic Speakers Gone?
Parrhesia when broken down, like in Foucault’s Fearless Speech, is “to say everything.” On a modern take on the word it is “freedom of speech.” In today’s society we all know we have free speech, we can all be advocates of whatever cause we find more in need of our voice. However, according to when the word parrhesia first appeared in Greek literature in Euripides, do we classify under the umbrella of parrhesiatic speakers?
If we followed this word by its criteria, all the meeting held for protest or rallies would look like the image above, empty. Parrhesia’s conditions can not be met in today’s modern era. Just a one of its conditions include, the speaker to use their own words, introducing the need to use I. This eliminates the possibility of using any type of rhetoric to persuade the audience or encourage them to follow a cause. This alone might eliminate half of any public speakers that we can even think of. Using rhetoric is a common tool that is used commonly, one can be using it without evening noticing, speaking to a group or just talking to one friend. In essence, it is the art or persuasion, and what better place to use this but when speaking to a large crowd in order to gain votes or hands up for a cause. With parrhesia, the speaker has to be sure that they are having all their opinions heard and nothing else. The moments they have the floor with everyone attention on them is to voice their opinion and feeling about any subject an that is all. Next for parrhesia, we see that it is a critique that comes from below. An example of this is a philosopher speaking up to a tyrant, as given by Foucault, or a citizen going against the set majority. This is where a case can be made that parrhesia is being practiced. Lately, the women march, black lives matter rallies, the protest against tuition hikes are all those who are seen on a lower pillar speaking up against major powers. In a broad sense this is a form of parrhesiastic speech. When broken down, it can be argued that those leading these fights do have power. They are “leaders” standing above others, standing against a larger power, but nonetheless a power. Basing parrhesia to the letter we must have an individual with no power rise against the power that is set and through his or her opinions and feeling toward subject fight.
Parrhesia might not be classifiable anymore with todays protesters and fighters of revolution. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Change is the one constant we possess in the universe. Making parrhesia a casualty too. Nevertheless, this does not make what we practice today a bad thing or something that is lesser or better then what those in ancient Greece practiced. One can only learn from those of older times, we can not compare styles of speech and expect the same results. Times change and so do people, in todays society we must elect those chosen by the majority to lead the people. If everyone stood up in a room of 50 people and everyone started to speak, you would have 50 answers for a single question. Evolution is brought in to how we run things. In its’ time, parrhesiastic speech was a way of being defiant while simotaneusly having your voice heard. Now, we have freedom of speech, where you can make a picket sign and go protest in front of the local McDonalds. In the future, there might be a concept even better then that. Time keeps passing by and with that so are the ways that we fight, resist, and stand up against what is wrong.
As for my opening question, where have parrhesiastic speakers gone? They are ever present, they have just taken different names. They can be the parent at the school’s PTA meeting that does not like the way things are ran at their child’s school. Maybe the new boss who goes against corporate to have less strict rules on the employees. If we hold them to a strict checklist, no these individuals are not practicing parrhesia, but they are making a base for change. In the end that is what parrhesia was meant for, for when issues are stirred up and enough people are wronged, change must follow. Items like rhetoric and a little bit of power are need to create awareness and encourage those in the dark to stand up and fight. Current society might be suffering from this numbness created by this vail that is but over us telling us that change can not be made, but those with little power can come in and tear the vail from our eyes and lead the masses to a future fair for all. These individuals create a auditorium filled to the brim.
Stages set for the correct people, are perfect places not just to lead, but to inspire people for greater change and a more harmonic society.
