Can our right to free speech be taken away from us? Or are we simply scared or intimidated by opposing forces?
First of all, What is Human Rights?
Human rights are standards that recognize and protect the dignity of all human beings.
Source
Freedom of speech is a fundamental Human right. As citizens of a nation, we have the right to freedom of speech. We all have the right to say how we feel if we're not being treated fairly.
But the sad reality is that Even if you're given the platform to speak, nobody will listen to you.
The government tells you that you have the right to free speech, but you don't. Our rights to free speech can be taken away from us by the government and by ourselves.
The government restricts and suppresses our right to free speech through laws and some regulations.
There are some things one would say that would end them up in a prison cell.
I remember some months ago during the last protest.
The hunger rate had increased significantly and the price of goods had skyrocketed. So many people came out to talk about how they were starving in their homes. They agreed to form a protest, but at the end of the day, the government was against it and stopped people from expressing themselves.
We all know that it was a peaceful protest and not a violent one; all they wanted was for their voices to be heard, but the government was against it and sent thugs to beat everyone protesting; they even poured teargas all for a peaceful protest.
That same government told us we all have the right to freedom of speech, yet anyone who came out for that protest to say how they felt was either beaten to a pulp. These people only wanted their voices to be heard but the government tried everything to suppress them. He even paid some of the protester's money to protest against the protest hahaha; this only happens in Naija hahaha.
Fear of backlash can silence individuals from expressing themselves. Imagine giving an opinion about a certain topic only to get backlash.
It's crazy how sometimes one would start receiving threats online and, maybe even worse, physical harm. I've seen videos like that where just a comment about a topic landed someone a heavy beating of their life.
Societal norms can silence individuals from speaking their minds too.
Imagine giving an opinion that's contradictory to that of your boss. Hahaha, some people can be very petty, and they'll end up firing you because of a harmless comment.
When we choose to stay silent because we're scared of repercussions, does that count as an infringement of our rights?
Yes! The Constitution says we have the Right to freedom of speech, but if we do, there's another invisible law that's there to punish us.
So Staying silent due to fear is an infringement of our rights.
Staying silent sometimes doesn't mean you're stupid; you're only protecting yourself, your family, your job, and sometimes societal values, and that's okay. After all, exercising your rights might end up taking everything you've worked hard for.
In some cases, one has to voice out, but before doing that, think about everything at stake.
Imagine saying "Gov Sim Fubara" is better than "Gov Wike Nyesom." ( You can try saying that in Port Harcourt city let's see what the city boys would do to you š).
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