Twitter, A Friend to Freedom of Speech

Freedom of speech comes with responsibilities, and often, we students forget that when we let loose on the Internet. It makes the circumstances so much worse because we also forget that the Internet is wide and permanent, and that every single thing posted on it stays on it, all for every person in the world to see for centuries.

When freedom of speech becomes too much

One of the Brampton students, Khadijah, commented on a social networking site saying her teacher "lives at home with his mom, eats fish sticks for dinner, and all he talks about is Star Wars". It's a bit subtle, but when you read between the lines, (after a few moments) you will just open your mouth and nod in understanding that the comment was, in fact, offensive. I don't think I need to explicitly say what was implied. (In other words, 'nuff said.)

I think suspension was a fair punishment for the students. Sure, no one was hurt, and sure, no one got their house burned down or anything, but it's the integrity of the human that got tarnished with the post. I'm pretty sure it brought humiliation to the teacher, and that is something that cannot be taken back, or changed. Things can be replaced, but words can't be taken back, and the damage they make can't be erased.

Honestly, I'm all for freedom of speech. It's nice to say anything without any consequences—just that what you say won't hurt other people. It's not just because you'll get punished for it, but because it's the principle of the thing.