I’d be interested in hearing the Proverbs verse though if you end up finding it.

It’s by Mark Twain, not Abraham Lincoln.

And he was paraphrasing Proverbs. I’d bave to be thinking hard to give you the chapter:verse reference, but there’s a nearly identical proverb.

Only joking!

Nice point Karellen, I completely agree. I found it really unhelpful as a child to be told that but as an adult I think it applies. I’ve had some people say some pretty nasty things to me in the last few years of my life but, unless I actual think they have a basis, I don’t care!

The words of other people can only hurt you as much as you let them. Of course, it’s hard for kids to “get” this. I certainly never did until I reached adulthood.

But adults should be able to understand it. And adults who get offended by ideas, thoughts or speech that isn’t actually threatening them with physical harm, are just not worth paying that much attention to. Adults who disagree with what I say, I’ll listen to why. Adults who think I’m foolish or stupid for thinking the things I think, I’ll listen to what they consider smarter. But adults who are offended? Let them be offended. That’s their problem, and I won’t change what I say just to suit them.

Anyone can be offended by almost anything. In fact, for any opinion you care to name, you can probably find someone on the planet who is offended by it. Well, fuck ‘em.

Well, it offend me. It really hurt me, badly. You should be forbidden to say that!
I’m sick of people using this easy and “political correctness” excuse to justify
censorship. “I don’t like that, so it must be forbidden”, “That is offensive
so it must be censored”.

Through out my life I’ve heard enough insults, was lied to and was accused of things
that I hadn’t done. These things hurt me when I was young, but with time I learned that none of
that was capable of harming me. I was still alive, physically unhurt and could go
to wherever I wanted. It’s part of growing up. The people who said those things
showed themselves as fools and I could avoid them.

Besides life, freedom is the most important thing a person has. It’s a natural
right.

Freedom of speech is not an advantage to racist, bigots, intolerants, fascists,
fundamentalist, fanatics, or any other person who tries to torture, rape, imprison,
segregate, enslave, repress or any other mean of removal of freedom.

Freedom of speech is the most important weapon to defeat them.

Stalin, Hitler or any other fascist or despot at any level, either at home, at
school, at locally, nationally, or internationally ever defends freedom of speech,
because they know that as soon as they allow that they will be defeated.

It took me a long to realize and appreciate the importance of freedom. It is only
when we see it taken away from us we understand how important it is. DO NOT make
same mistake. Once removed it will very, very hard to bring it back!

Freedom is one of the most precious things we have. Freedom of speech, to express
ourselves, even when someone can/will be offended[1]; freedom of identity: sexual,
intellectual, physical; freedom of movement; freedom of thought; freedom to
associate or to disassociate; etc…

When so many countries around the world have not and refuse to embrace freedom as
foundation stone to build their societies, when other are in the process of
removing the little freedom that their citizens have, that we that live in somewhat
“free societies” should even think that removing freedom is a “good thing”.

Learn from what is going on around world in real time. It’s history lesson. People
are paying with their lives the price of freedom. Learn with history. We build
better societies with freedom not without it!

Think of the many ways our governments are trying to restrict what we say, where
we say it (this is very important, as important as what we say) because it’s
offensive, unpatriotic, or whatever.

REFLECT. And you will understand that suffering a bit because of freedom of speech
is not enough to justify the suffering that will come by the absence of it!

Thank you.

It might be a personal thing, but whenever some political whatever gathers and bashes (Austrian) government, it’s always just freedoms demanded, but responsibilities all put on the state’s shoulders. The example is just the best way to picture what’s going on in people’s minds: we (at least in Europe and America) have never been as free as we are now, but - in all aspects of our lives - we need to accept that this valuable gift of freedom has to be paid with responsibilities towards all of us! Also in free software… and I’m _happy_ to take on these responsibilities!

As for the sticks and stones: when I was getting verbally bullied at school my parents used to say that to me as if they thought it was true.

Assuming the post you mentioned refers to the one I have in mind, let me say I
was shocked you posted without “turning on your responsibility brain” to say
“no” before posting but also excuse it as a single false step that you will
learn from.

I’m not sure though how that post relates to “free speech”.
In my head free speech is the question if the law allows you to say
something or not, whether it is legal to say something. I think your
post raises another question instead: whether something you were permitted
to say by law harmed people and therefor was legitimate or not.

I hope that made some sense and didn’t offend anybody Please excuse me not showing my name.

Is it bad for me to preach my God? Atheists will say it is (they may or may not give me the right to say it). How about my unpopular opinions that are the truth?