Your Opinion Counts, But How Far is too Far?

As online blogging, digital journalism, forums for everything that ails us, become really popular, how truly free is your speech? Sure you can say almost anything you want to, but who holds the accountablility?

It seems that in this day and age where the immediate gratification of expressing oneself becomes easier and easier, the Internet provides a scapegoat where on line speech can and does get caustic. So how far is too far when expressing ones views while discussing the latest events? Take five high school teenagers as an example. These students believe that the chat posted in their schools online forum, was the perfect example of free speech. They posted negative thoughts about their school principal. Someone told the principal who later suspended the five for online bullying. The students responded by saying things like, so much for freedom of speech, oh they just don't like what we said, or why didn't they suspend everyone? Or how about the 400 lb woman who one day found out she was pregnant. Two days later she gave birth. Because of her weight, she claims she did not know she was pregnant. But in an online "Mommy" group, people posted things like: once a pig, always a pig or how could you be so fat as to not know you were pregnant? They then went on to analyze her house keeping abilities and criticising her ability to be a good mother. Falsely accusing her of the latter just because she is fat. What happens, even here at DJ, when people swing so far left or so far right that others get tired of the opinions and begin to lash out at each other with their words? Do you feel any different when this happens to you? Question is "How liable are you for your seemingly anonymous words?" Just how anonymous are you? How far is too far when describing your neighbour, your family, teacher or principals or anything you have contention with? How about the heads of state, your president or Prime Minter? Is it enough to say you hate them, don't believe in them or do we stretch beyond the norm and say things like:.... "Well if I had a gun I'd do this that and the other to them... or your so into your beliefs you can't see straight... or Oprah is working with the devil? Accountability is the key, is it not, when lamenting on an issue or publicly spewing words that can be misconstrued as hate or fear or discontent. Is it just immediate gratification that would otherwise cause us to bite our tongues in public. Do we not have the same fears as we would if it were person to person. Can the writer be sued? Are they liable or not? Or should one just get over it and move on? How far is too far? One company thinks so and has created a business to help you clean up you name. It's called ReputationDefender and will help you clear your good name. But back to the issue at hand: Is the civil decline in discourse simply the price we pay for the advance in technology coupled with the ability to say what we want, to who we want in a fashion that normally we would think twice about if they were sitting face to face? Think about it... what can be easily said today, in days gone by would have been scandalous years ago. Is it really freedom of speech or are we so desensitized that we just don't care?