If You Can't Say Something Nice, Don't Say Nothing at All
HannahRae Stevens
5 Oct. 2011
“If you Can’t Say Something Nice, Don’t Say Nothing At All”
In any given day, we are exposed to hundreds of opinions from various sources. An admiring comment about your shoes, a disgusted cry during a Presidential address, a whispered diss about the girl across the room at a social event. Opinions are a part of everyday life, and we often never even give much thought to whether they are a necessary and beneficial asset to society. If we were indeed to ponder this concept, we would more than likely come to find that these opinions, while completely acceptable according to our nation’s belief in the freedom of speech, are actually a detriment to society. The opinions spewed by any citizen, from the President to the milkman, are unnecessary and have a negative effect on the minds of those subject to them. Freedom of speech is a precious right that Americans have fought for, treasured, and horribly abused. Enabling a man to speak whatsoever he chooses was a risky and dangerous gamble taken by our founding fathers. Nevertheless, it accomplished great things. It gave the black man a chance to stand proudly with the white man; it gave the woman a chance to step fearlessly into a man’s position. These accomplishments are, indeed, honorable and admirable. Yet the abuses this freedom has suffered have become far too great. In today’s media, serious topics such as politics, religion, and even sexuality have become the focus of public mockery and spite. Television shows such as South Park and Family Guy take serious issues and create invidious parodies that depict what almost everyone is thinking, but barely anyone dares to say. Barely anyone dares to say it because they know that it is offensive and cruel. These pernicious opinions are the epitome of the abuse of freedom of speech. The potential to harm others with strong but misguided opinions through media is unnecessary and carries a strong negative connotation. Perhaps the most
5 Oct. 2011
“If you Can’t Say Something Nice, Don’t Say Nothing At All”
In any given day, we are exposed to hundreds of opinions from various sources. An admiring comment about your shoes, a disgusted cry during a Presidential address, a whispered diss about the girl across the room at a social event. Opinions are a part of everyday life, and we often never even give much thought to whether they are a necessary and beneficial asset to society. If we were indeed to ponder this concept, we would more than likely come to find that these opinions, while completely acceptable according to our nation’s belief in the freedom of speech, are actually a detriment to society. The opinions spewed by any citizen, from the President to the milkman, are unnecessary and have a negative effect on the minds of those subject to them. Freedom of speech is a precious right that Americans have fought for, treasured, and horribly abused. Enabling a man to speak whatsoever he chooses was a risky and dangerous gamble taken by our founding fathers. Nevertheless, it accomplished great things. It gave the black man a chance to stand proudly with the white man; it gave the woman a chance to step fearlessly into a man’s position. These accomplishments are, indeed, honorable and admirable. Yet the abuses this freedom has suffered have become far too great. In today’s media, serious topics such as politics, religion, and even sexuality have become the focus of public mockery and spite. Television shows such as South Park and Family Guy take serious issues and create invidious parodies that depict what almost everyone is thinking, but barely anyone dares to say. Barely anyone dares to say it because they know that it is offensive and cruel. These pernicious opinions are the epitome of the abuse of freedom of speech. The potential to harm others with strong but misguided opinions through media is unnecessary and carries a strong negative connotation. Perhaps the most