In My Humble Opinion...

Opinions are everywhere, and what's more, they come from everywhere. Thanks in large part to the Internet, regular people have more outlets for sharing their views than ever before: Facebook, Twitter, blogs, even e-mail.

Americans have had free speech for a long time, but only recently has so much speech become so widely available from so many sources. The fact that you're reading a blog written by me, a relative nobody, is a perfect example.

I think most Americans agree that free speech is a good thing. We like being able to say what we think without fear of punishment. We like that we can applaud, criticize, question, thank, encourage, discourage, rant and whine about anything from the variety of food available in the vending machine to the domestic policies of the president of the United States. 

And, boy, we exercise that freedom until it has the physique of a personal trainer. The trouble is, not everyone uses the same workout regimen. Some people use the Jillian Michael's program, others swear by Denise Austin, and believe it or not, some just can't get enough Richard Simmons. What motivates one person to get fit doesn't work for everyone.  And yet, no one loses friendships over the Michaels/Simmons divide. (Or maybe they do?)

The problems inherent in free speech have been rolling around in my mind a lot in recent months, but they came into sharp focus for me a few days ago. Someone unfriended me on Facebook because of a comment I made.

Ms. X (not her real name) disagreed with my opinion, and announced, "This is the last post we will share ... if you cant [sic] figure the difference out then no need to tell you. its [sic] been nice knowing you."

For Ms. X, disagreeing with me superceded everything else in our relationship. She didn't even think it was worthwhile to explain my error to me.

I'm not saying that Ms. X should be forced to hear my opinions. She has every right to unfriend me. I'm all for changing the channel if you don't like what's on. That's why we have 900-plus channels beamed in by satellite. I'm sharing this episode to make a point about tolerance. I disagree with a lot of people about a lot of things, but I've never severed a relationship because of it. I can think someone's wrong and still be his or her friend.

Free speech is hard. Being tolerant of other people's ideas is hard. It's very easy to condemn people who disagree with us, labeling them as stupid, ignorant or hateful. I'm guilty of that myself. But we have to be careful to protect all speech, even that which is unpopular, politically incorrect, or otherwise unsavory. 

In fact, I would argue that minority speech needs greater protection than that of the majority. After all, much of what is widely believed today was once the opinion of a persecuted minority: the non-geocentric universe, racial equality, religious freedom, women's suffrage -- indeed, voting of any kind. Today's gay marriage may be tomorrow's Christianity: something so widely accepted that it's taken for granted.

Like so many things (political office, celebrity, pyrokinesis), free speech can be used for great good or great evil. I'm choosing to use my speech to promote love and tolerance, even for those who are hateful or intolerant. Hateful, intolerant people have a right to be hateful and intolerant.

In my humble opinion, of course.