Spring Issue 2015 | Page 3

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Some of you may

have heard of Nash Grier.

Garnering over 9 million followers on Vine, a video sharing service, he is a teenager known for his comedic 6-second videos. His meteoric rise to Internet fame led to heated debate over the controversial and offensive content that he uploads. In his videos, he mocks Asians, dictates what a girl should and should not do, and even makes homophobic remarks. He was slammed with criticism and major backlash claiming he was sexist, homophobic, and racist. Despite being called out by many, his fan base– the majority of them being young teenage girls– repeatedly defend him with the same argument: it’s freedom of speech.

Currently, there is a popular Tumblr account (racistsgettingfired.tumblr.com) working towards getting those who post racist opinions on social media fired. The account goes to great lengths to fire them. First, they find the user’s Facebook account. Through Facebook, they track down their employment information. Then, they directly contact their employer. Even though some people may think that those posting racist opinions were simply exercising their right to free speech, the posters were the ones who ultimately paid the price.

After reading about this extreme account, I became more conscious about what to say–especially on the Internet. Even before this account existed, people often delete offensive content on their sociall media accounts right before applying to college or for a job to avoid any negative consequences. Freedom of speech does not equal freedom from social consequences.

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"the difference between free speech and hate speech lies in a gray zone"