Freedom of Speech Part 1: Swears

We as Americans (sorry if you’re not in the US but maybe this will give you some insight to our culture) are promised freedom of speech untouched by the government and uncensored. Yet is that what was truly meant? Did our Forefathers want true freedom of speech or merely freedom of speech as long as society found it acceptable? The way our society works today is the latter. You have a broad freedom of speech more so than many countries in the world and for that we are lucky but yet it is still not pure, unadulterated freedom of speech. Our limits on speech are set by society and by the government.

So what is true freedom speech?? Freedom of speech would allow you to say anything you pleased no matter how offensive or annoying. Now this could never work because it would allow for someone to scream fire in a crowded room. Obviously some limitations are necessary to protect but some of the ‘rules’ go too far and the only reason we accept them is because we don’t know any better. We’ve all grown learning that certain words were bad. We all learn from an early age that certain statements aren’t acceptable. Has anyone every sat down to realize why?

Why are swear words bad?? Some are only bad in the context, but seriously who was the one who said “you know what I find these words offensive so they’re bad and no one can use them?” why is a bad thing to tell a police officer to “go F*** yourself” but not a bad thing to say “go flower yourself?” all in all they’re both F-words in the context they both can mean the same thing. Words only have the meaning you give them. If the current swear words eventually become so common place that they really lose all meaning is it really a bad thing? I mean do we need to remember the days when the N-word was extremely offensive and derogatory?? Or is it better to forget it and let the word take its current meaning of “friend, college or whatever meaning it has”. Wouldn’t our society be better place if ‘swear words’ simply were used in a non offensive manner??

However this is a problem since it most likely will never happen. The words are currently held as taboo by old ‘fuddy duddys’ as I like to refer to them as. And it’s these ‘fuddy duddys’ that control what we see, read and say. If society was ever to decide to eliminate the taboo associated with the words then eventually they would lose all meaning or at least they’d lose the current meanings. Would that really be such a bad thing??