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For me this discussion is not just about someone feeling insulted or offended. We are beyond that here, that is not what I am talking about.
I understand protection of free speech and the debating of different ideas and not only listening to one side of the story.
What I want to talk about is the way in which words are used and the power they have. I want to ask what responsibility do those in leadership roles have with their words?
It is evident that we agree here that words have power. What is the responsibility a person such as a president has with those words?
What is the responsibility a parent has with their words?
A pastor or preacher, teacher, coach etc etc
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Don't make me start quoting you FL.
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Yes. She is an extraordinary Snowflake
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(10-31-2018, 01:07 AM)Love Child Wrote: For me this discussion is not just about someone feeling insulted or offended. We are beyond that here, that is not what I am talking about.
I understand protection of free speech and the debating of different ideas and not only listening to one side of the story.
What I want to talk about is the way in which words are used and the power they have. I want to ask what responsibility do those in leadership roles have with their words?
It is evident that we agree here that words have power. What is the responsibility a person such as a president has with those words?
What is the responsibility a parent has with their words?
A pastor or preacher, teacher, coach etc etc
I think it comes back to the free marketplace of ideas.
What I guess is this, if I run a car parts store and I foster racism, sexism and homophobia and maybe have slightly inappropriate tongue in cheek jokes quoted in frames around the office and maybe some statues that were a bit off,
I think all of that should be protected BUT I would pay a price. People would be off-put. My sales would drop and perhaps I would risk people acting out their offence.
What about people in leadership positions? Same. They pay a price. If you are an unflinching racist or sexist, you pay a price across the board. Because these are not traits that people admire.
Good ideas will percolate to the top and bad idea sink to the bottom. Limit people's ability to say or think what they like and you limit your experience and bad idea become a counter force and with all the righteous indignant any counter movement has. It will be the counter and equal opposite instead of a discarded, irrelevant idea or statement
