It's rare that someone says so plainly what they mean: If I don't like what you say, you shouldn't be allowed to say it.
Words -- labels -- are thrown around very carelessly. If someone cracks a joke and someone else feels offended, it is "harassment" or "bullying" or "harm". In reality, it's neither, but by attaching those specific words, "I felt insulted" is put alongside sexual harassment and stalking and assault.
That quote came about in reference to a Facebook page which posted images of obese persons in costumes. The page was likely mean-spirited. It was insulting. Did it rise to the level at which we say, "You aren't allowed to say that?"
In the meat world, there are lots of public spaces. In the public spaces, the 1st Amendment to the US Constitution permits one to say nearly anything they want. And someone is allowed to respond in kind -- in speech. Those public spaces are bordered by private spaces where you can continue to speak your mind, without needing to share the space. You're allowed to express hate for anyone. Blacks. Jews. Gays. Women. Immigrants. You can say some pretty vile stuff. Your right to say it is codified in our primary legal document.
On the internet, there are NO public spaces. Everything is private space owned or provided by someone else and you have no rights. If they don't like what you say, they can find someone in the chain -- the forum, the hosting provider, the ISP, even the DNS registrar -- who will pull the plug on you rather than deal with whatever harassment or bullying they get from the people who don't like what you say.
Yes, some of it rises to actual harassment and bullying. Filing a complaint is one thing -- going onto forums to badmouth the company, contacting business partners, trying to cause them enough harm that they'll do what you want, that IS bullying. It IS harassment.
And yet, because of the internet, you don't pass anything you don't choose to. There's no issue of sitting in the park with your kids and seeing hateful signs across the street. Those kinds of borders are entire walls on the internet. You cannot see through them. If you don't like a Facebook page, you don't have to click on it. That's it!
Or, at least, it should be. However, rather than making the personal choice to avoid something, rather than fighting speech with more speech, someone tries to make enough noise, disrupt operations enough that someone in the chain says, "Enough!" and yanks the page down.
Because if what you say harms someone, what right do you have to say it? In the real world, you have every right. On the internet, you have none
Labels: bullying, constitution, convention, cosplay, facebook, first amendment, free speech, geek, harassment, internet, nerd, science, speech
posted by Lachlan @ 10:31 PM
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