Rev. Dustin ParkerTibet and Freedom of Speech
A lady that I worked with recently (being an ESL teacher I tend to work with strange yet interestingly charming people) told me that in Tibet they have a law which makes it illegal to tell people about your religion. She thought it was a great idea and when I asked why she said that "Because most people can't have their minds changed by argument." A fair enough answer, and yet, she continued "And because I don't want to be bothered by people like the Jehovah's Witnesses or the Mormons about what they believe." I didn't argue with her (I believed her first point and hey, I only had a few minutes before class) but I don't agree with her.
If I support a government that stops people speaking about their religion because it bugs me to hear it then what is to stop the government making a law that stops me from complaining about them? My right to speak about the Gospel is linked to my legal right to call politicians dishonest or corrupt or incompetent.
Funnily enough here in Australia, we don't have a law that safeguards our right to free speech. But neither do we have laws that stop it.
JoshZ
If I support a government that stops people speaking about their religion because it bugs me to hear it then what is to stop the government making a law that stops me from complaining about them? My right to speak about the Gospel is linked to my legal right to call politicians dishonest or corrupt or incompetent.
Funnily enough here in Australia, we don't have a law that safeguards our right to free speech. But neither do we have laws that stop it.
JoshZ
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...even crazier about China: I just read that the Chinese version of Skype sends copies of messages with certain keywords to Chinese servers!
I've heard of the China thing and it's no real surprise. What I find funny sometimes is America's constitution which supposedly DOES provide protection for free speech has the most litigation against libel, slander etc and the most censorship as well.
JZ
There is no explicit legislation for freedom of speech that is true, but most of our rights fall under common law and legal precedent. Australia is not the USA and has another history in the way we gained our rights.
as far as people not being dolts go, we might disagree a little.
Anyways, our rights to say what we like to whom we like must always be tempered by a degree of courtesy and commonsense.
Or at least, it should be.
JZ