I’m a 20-year-old girl living in the US, I love to sing along badly to my iPod, gossip with my friends and write. I’m just your average Caucasian, seemingly Christian, upper class chick with strong opinions. And I ask myself, AeR what do you have to lose in this country? Not much, huh? But that’s where I was wrong, there are certain things I can do and certain things I can’t. I can’t run around screaming that Obama is the antichrist on the White House lawn, now can I? Not that I would, but my freedom of speech is at risk. Which is why I take to the internet to speak my mind. The internet offers so many forums for me to speak on, I have facebook where I do care what my friends think of me so I try and post tasteful statuses, my twitter where anything goes and my livejournal personal diary. Each site offers me a new way to speak my mind without getting caught and crucified, this works for me because I have a lot to say even if I am misinformed about things at times. Up until recently I always thought we were allowed to have free speech, not once did I put two and two together and realize that censorship and free speech go hand in hand.
I’ve been censored a few times in my life and I’d like to share those personal experiences. My best friend and I tried to start a Gay Straight Alliance with our gay friend Andrea, my Episcopalian school promptly shut us down, when we tried to commemorate Transgender Day Of Remembrance, I had my stickers, sashes and flyers taken away. I felt strongly about these issues because I had a trans friend who was struggling and I wanted to get the word out there that they were indeed people too! I realized later after I graduated that my school’s excuse of ‘it’d upset the church’ was false when I was informed that the Episcopalian faith has had two gay ministers. Silly right? I was censored in my own school where intellectuality and free thoughts and speech were encouraged, but I guess that comes with the territory of private schools.
In college I’ve been pleased to see that my speech has yet to be censored and that I’ve been able to say literally whatever I’ve wanted to…then again I don’t say defaming things often, if at all. It makes me wonder how the citizens of the US would take to being their own gatekeepers, would the country run amok with no boundaries or would the government watch as things got more constricted with less speaking boundaries. The public can be very critical of themselves and others so when the government monitors phone calls, trolls the internet and seeks out groups that cause trouble through free speech maybe they’re doing us a favor?
Like I said, I’m just your average Caucasian, seemingly Christian but definitely Agnostic, upper class chick with strong opinions. Through this class I’m learning about what can be said and what can’t, how big corporations can threaten, bribe and shut down people for exercising their free speech, stage fake interviews, sue people for false statements. I can’t imagine being in a position where I said something bad and had the Tobacco Industry shining a bring spotlight on me as I sat on a stool with a ‘Pariah’ sign around my neck. If I’m careful about what I say I can get by in life just fine, although it’s a shame I can’t say whatever I want without consequences because there’s always someone monitoring what’s being said whether or not we realize it.
Hi Big Brother!
Censorship - taken from IFEX Campaigns
AeR's Blog 