Stand, But Careful What You Deliver

 This past week an artist friend of mine was booted off a social media site. Her account was deactivated, she said, without warning, and even her side of our private conversations was removed. Apparently, this was a response to something she posted about the war in Gaza. I don’t know what it was, and can only hope that she is afforded due process for reinstatement by the site. My friend had thousands of followers, including customers for her art, and may now have to rebuild her network.

I have always believed in free speech, but have also felt that we are not protected from its consequences, especially now, when what we say or write can be an eternal albatross around our neck. Some celebrities have spoken out about Gaza, and at least in a few cases, have since felt the need to apologize after getting blowback.

Most of us can agree that the Israel-Hamas war is a tragedy of, yes, Biblical proportions, and many people in positions of authority are being asked to pick a side and make it public. Certainly, college presidents are responsible for public safety on their campuses, especially when abusive or threatening speech and behavior are going on.

Expression of unpopular views can be tolerated, but a clear line is crossed if a campus group should call for violence. At the very least, that is an act of incitement. Isn’t a former US President now being accused by many of inciting what happened on January 6th? These days, universities are hardly bastions of free speech anyway. Appearances by unpopular speakers have been disrupted or even canceled due to protest.

We expect people in certain positions, such as politicians, to speak out. But forcing every corporate CEO to comment on issues outside their spheres smacks a little of, “You’re either with us or against us.” Freedom of speech is precious, but so is the freedom NOT to speak, and for many  of us, the latter can often be the wiser choice.

That said, there is one time when we should all take a stand, especially an informed one, and that is during elections. The people we put into office shape much of what happens in our lives, and democracy enables us to choose the shapers.

But even then, the law allows our vote to be cast in secret. Whether we want to go public with it is our own business.