Censorship Vs Freedom of Speech?

Question

Which would you rather and why?
-> A sheltered, filtered life where idiots and the politically incorrect will be told to shut up... or
-> A life exposed to the good and the down right evil with only morals and your own conscience to dictate.

Base your answers with the whole of Society in mind.

Answer 1

I would rather live with all the evil right out in the open. I want to hear the people I hate spewing their stupidity - that's how I know who to be friends with. I wouldn't want to live in a world where everybody has to be careful about what they say. Then, what happens is people would start complaining about every little stupid thing that offends them, until everyone is too afraid to speak for fear of being sued or losing their job. I say, words are just words. It doesn't matter how stupid or offensive your speech is, until it goes past words into actions.

Answer 2

Freedom of Speech. However, Freedom of Speech to all citizens of a Society, can result in some speech being determined to be illegal.

The right of Freedom of Speech is proscribed in a number of cases. The original cited by the Supreme Court was that noone has the right to speech which is injurious to society, such as yelling fire in a crowded theatre, because the members of the society can be harmed.

Likewise, speech inciting violence or criminal behavior is illegal.

Society defines its culture and morals through speech and action. Certain speech and actions have been determined to be injurious to society, and are therefore proscribed by law.

Additionally, freedom of speech allows someone to identify themselves as deviant or criminal, and the balance of society must have recourse within the bounds of the constitutionally based system of governance to preserve the greater good.

Answer 3

Freedom of Speech

Answer 4

Well your question isn't exactly unbiased, but I think I would like to have "A life exposed to the good and the down right evil with only morals and your own conscience to dictate." I am an adult and I take full responsibility for not only what I watch but what I let those in my care watch. I neither need nor desire the government or any religious-fringe group protecting me from things that, heaven forbid, I might not like to see, read, hear, feel or think. There are lots of things in the movies, on television and in books that offend me... I just avoid them. I wouldn't dream of tell you what you can be exposed to merely because I don't like it.

I get so tired of uptight people using the excuse of children to justify trampling the civil rights of the rest of us.

Answer 5

Freedom of Speech.

Answer 6

Definitely freedom of speech. If there is something that we don't like then we can move along appreciating the fact the we can all be free to have our say. It's very important and that's what makes us Americans.

Answer 7

A sheltered, filtered life where idiots and the politically incorrect will be told to shut up

I don't like people needlessly hurting one another.

Answer 8

Freedom of speech! As long as it doesn't offend directly. For example, there is a difference between saying "I don't like Americans" and "All Americans are morons".

Yet I wonder how many people who answered this question are also the people who report abuse...

Answer 9

I believe in freedom of speech, but at the same time i believe that great responsibility must come with that freedom!

Answer 10

freedom of speech comes with the price that other people get the freedom too. who is to say what's right and wrong to say.