‘Freedom of Expression’

I hate this phrase.

There are many countries where people’s freedom of speech and expression is oppressed, often violently. It is a basic human right that everyone should be given for the sake of a fairer and enlightened society. The problem is that people use this phrase to justify all sorts of twaddle. 

 

Obviously, it is also wrong to censor. If you censor then there is no debate, no examples, and no freedom of expression. People have the right not to publish or endorse a person’s work or opinion, but denying a person their right of free speech when it does not break any law is perhaps worse than saying something really stupid. But when you deliberately publicise an intentionally controversial work of art and all you can say in response is: “I have freedom of expression” then in reality you have nothing whatsoever to say.

You have created controversy for the sake of controversy. You’ve managed to pop some monocles, but anyone can do that. I could say that the Queen’s breasts resemble Philip’s scrotum. There. I shocked you without even trying.

So now I’m getting a lot of angry emails from people saying that my prior remark concerning the Queen’s most intimate regions was vulgar, tasteless, and unnecessary. At first I will giggle like a little boy who’s just put a caterpillar down his classmate’s shirt, and ignore these emails; but soon the messages will begin to get nasty. Eventually I will feel physically threatened and I’ll have to issue some kind of statement either to apologise and politely tell people to stop throwing bricks at my house, or to defend my actions.

Most chose the former because now that their life is in danger, the whole ‘fight for your right to party’ thing feels immature, plus they’ve had time to realise that the filter between their brain and mouth probably needs replacing. But, let’s assume I don’t have such a self-reflective view on myself and chose the latter.

Now I have to put on my best suit, remove the fifteen padlocks I’d recently installed on my front door, walk up to the press gathered outside my house, and explain myself. Because what I did was crass and without thought, the only thing I can say is that I have freedom of expression, and I will not be oppressed. (Then I realise I live in Russia and exclaim: “Oh bugger!” before getting shot by an agent of Putin.)

What I should have done is used my freedom of speech not as an excuse to say ham-handed provocative jokes but to defend myself. I should have turned around and said to the press “I published on my blog a statement concerning the Queen’s softer implements because I am a revolutionary who believes that the reigning monarch should be a younger one that represents the people of today and therefore can campaign against the government for a society that no longer alienates the working classes.”

With that, my dumb remark has become a politically charged artistic statement. I didn’t need to make it political – I could’ve just used the Frankie Boyle justification that everyone was probably thinking it anyway. I just needed to prove that there was thought behind what I said, and thus hopefully make more people see my view. In short: I’ve turned my provocative comment into a discussion. 

And that's how you should use freedom of expression. To discuss, not as a 'say stupid things for free' card.