I have been writing for Chaotic Fringe, in one form or another, for over 20 years. It has always been part of my charter to comment on things that affect me. Now, that could be something as monumental as political or social changes or as small as an encounter at a supermarket. Chaotic Fringe was never meant to be a forum to change the world. There have been times when I have wanted people to listen and distribute things I’ve talked about, but I realized early on that wasn’t going to happen. I learned I can’t be concerned about what other people might think about what I say, either on Chaotic Fringe or on social media.

Freedom of speech, that cherished and misunderstood part of the Constitution, gives me the right to say almost anything I want to say, but it also gives other people the right to express their opinion of what I say. Free speech isn’t a one way street. In a concept tough for many to comprehend. Just because you can say something doesn’t mean you should say something, and also it doesn’t mean you won’t suffer the consequences for saying it.

There are some people who I have friended on Facebook who say things I strongly disagree with. When they continue on what I consider crazy rants, I have the right to call them out on it, block their messages, unfriend them and a host of other options. I don’t need to stop them from saying what they have to say, but I can, in a non-confrontational way, choose not to read or listen to their posts. I’m sure there are people who may disagree with something I have posted on social media or written on Chaotic Fringe. People have the same ability to stop listening to me without resorting to an in your face confrontation.

What I have found distressing in the past few years is the need for people who disagree with one another to escalate the conflict to name calling, shaming and harassment. I have seen that people will say things, and I’m not sure if it is for shock value or ignorance, as if the rights of others don’t apply to them. If you listen to some experts, they believe the reason for such course comments has to do with the anonymity of social media. On social media, shielded by a computer terminal and false names, people feel comfortable to say things they probably wouldn’t say in front of another person.

Maybe another factor works into the mix which is connected to social media. Social media has been promoted as a forum to let your voice be heard around the world. Click on a link and you can support a cause, without doing anything else. I’ve written frequently about my frustration about hashtag campaigns that allow for people to feel they have accomplished something without a lot of follow up. Millions of people supported the Bring Back Our Girls hashtag yet a year later little has been done to find those missing girls. You would be hard pressed to find someone who supported the campaign from the comfort of their homes who has marched, sent out petitions or pressed political leaders into following up on the matter. The same could be said about the Sandy Hook shooting. That tragic event got many Americans, over 90% in polls at the time, outraged and stating they would be comfortable with some form of gun control. The problem was there was no follow up, in the same numbers, of people marching in the streets to demand change.

Physically protesting takes a lot of effort and can take time. Look at how many people black people have been shot in this country over the past two years. People have called for changes in the police force for years. The black community has talked about aggressive police behavior for years. It has taken on national attention because of young people marching, recording and actively participating in getting the message to the people and policy makers. Hashtag messages may have started getting people motivated but actions caused change.

From a keyboard, someone can spout whatever crosses their minds and in most cases will forget about it hours later. The keyboard has become a vehicle for people to vent their frustrations, their random thoughts and ideas without fully thinking through the consequences of their comments. Locally there was a person who organized a rally against Muslims and the religion of Islam. It gained national attention since he claimed his reasoning for the protest was for free speech. For all of his hatred against Muslims and Islam, he never took the time to understand the religion or the people. He thought the speech he heard from some represented all of the faith and the people. He demanded his right to speech but would prevent others the right to speak without fear of reprisal.

Speech is a powerful tool that allows us to express our emotions with elegance or profanity. A good number of people feel speech is something exclusive to themselves. While writing this article I saw a story about a motorcyclist that was injured because he yelled at a person in a car using a cellphone. That person subsequently chased the motorcyclist and bumped him, causing the cyclist to crash and sustain injuries. Honestly, sure the car driver shouldn’t have been texting while driving, but the motorcyclist was confrontational in his language to the driver. Of course, the motorcyclist didn’t deserve to get run off the road, but I think many would question the tone and attitude of the motorcyclist to go up to a stranger and talk in the manner that he did. If the motorcyclist had used a tone less confrontational, the driver may not have been so aggressive to him. Even if the same result occurred, the motorcyclist would have been in a much better position in the public eye instead of coming off as hostile as the driver.