During a recent discussion with my english group and the entire class about free speech and censorship, interesting ideas were presented . The discussion had stemmed from the aspects of censorship that we had seen in the novel- Fahrenheit 451. We spoke about the fact that free speech was one of the main pillars of democracy since it has direct links to the broad idea of “freedom”.
Free speech is essential, as we are able to voice our thoughts, concerns and problems to everybody. However, if not used properly, free speech can lead to very severe consequences. For example- The anti-vaccine discussion has led to the endangerment of the lives of many young children. Therefore, censorship becomes necessary. Censorship can prevent the potential damage that the wrong use of free speech could have resulted in.
My personal thoughts on free speech and censorship are quite similar. I also think that people should be able to express their thoughts openly. Alongside, I also think that the government should still engage in censoring but up to a certain degree. They should only censor pieces which could be potentially harmful/polarising. Pieces which express dissatisfaction with or criticise the government should not be censored.
If I am to describe my views on free speech and censorship to someone outside my class, I would say that I believe in free speech being essential but censorship (in a justified manner) is also essential.