Do we really have freedom of speech?

It seems these days that we some freedom of speech only applies to certain ppl. Everyday it seems that more things are being labeled racist, anti-american, hate speech, ect. The truth is ppl may not like what you have to say but you should still have the right to say it. [b]~~AT PEACE WITHIN~~ **STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS**[/b]

No our country really likes to overexaggerate how much freedom we have but if you really step back and look at your life you can tell that you're really not all that free. Everything is just overexaggerated by the government and I think that if we could stop giving all the power to these rich old guys our lives would be better.

Well... even freedom has to be used with many considerations. For example - people shouldn't use (or should I say abuse) the freedom of speech to insult or harm others. Stating one's opinion is one thing - but hurting people without any solidified facts is totally different. This is mainly bragging or worse - The freedom of speech is not only a problem of the speaker- but also of the listener. Not many people have what it takes to accept words that do not fall within their sphere of beliefs. It is a well known theory in psychology, that people tend to cling to their "tribe's" beliefs with all force - even to the terrible outcome of tribal wars (or, as the theory goes, wars in general). I won't write too much about this theory here, but to have the patience (and wisdom) to be able to hear and listen to different opinions is not something that is built in human beings. Because being wrong in one thing, defies our righteousness in other things. Some get over it, many have trouble with it and there are some who take it to the level of grudges (and sometimes worse...). So, the problem is with the two sides of the coin - the speaker, which must know how to use this freedom with responsibility and the listener, which must adapt to listening different opinions.

It depends. If we say negative political issues underground, then it doesn't matter, maybe we can say we have freedom of speech. But if we say negative politica issues publicly and it has large impact on society, then we don't have freedom of speech.

Hi,apples99 No,I think.As far as I know,few people really have the freedom of speech.Whenever the topic talks about politics,our freedom is limitted.However,they will say that there is no unlimitted freedom!That is the truth I think. Have a nice day!

yeah i think sometimes we humans are way to politically correct and we need to start saying more wht we really think instead of trying to please everybody, which in the long run won't wrok out at all.

I wonder what incident inspired this post Was it personal or something that happened on television? An incident on the light rail a month or two ago - some guy started screaming into his cell phone threatening the person on the other end of the connection. In a public place such as public transportation, that is not a right. Public airwaves in the US are governed by the FCC, and they are insistent on no profanity or display of certain body parts (even if it was a "wardrobe malfunction") Otherwise anyone can say what they want, but others have a right to respond to what was said. And we can respond to the responses. If the "mistreatment" you speak of is physical, no, no one has the right to do that unless the response given was physical, but if it was just a verbal response ... I suppose I would need to know more details as to what we are talking about here to give an accurate response.

Yes we do, and it doesn't matter what you say. If you have something to say, you should say it and not hold back on it or have a negative attitude toward cricism. Be yourself, someone is always going to criticize you, but then someone's going to praise you too! So if you have something important to say that needs to come out, then just say it! :)

I don't think we have the real freedom of speech.The press take the powerful right of speech,they can decide which topic should be covered,which one can not be broadcasted.you never have the power to deliver your thoughts by meida with easy.