Free Speech - At What Cost?

 

A friend of mine posted on Facebook today about a billboard she saw while driving in town. It said:

“STILL A VIRGIN? CALL FOR HELP.”

And a toll free number was provided.

Now, I have yet to hear back from my friend to see if she called the number to see exactly what it was all about, but I have to admit that at first glance it’s pretty offensive.

And that got me to thinking….again (see, I told you I do that a lot).

When does the right to free speech become TOO free?

Is there such a thing as TOO free? After all, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, right? There are things out there that are positive and good – but those are not the ones that are remembered well, are they?

I know that what is offensive to me might not be to someone else and vice versa. But really…isn’t there some kind of “mainstream” set of morals out there? Something that tells even the most callous person out there that there’s something not quite right? Apparently not.

It seems like there are all these things that have seeped into our culture that have become the norm. TV shows become increasingly more offensive. Clothing retailers have pushed to the very edge and nearly beyond the boundary between advertising and pornography. Commercials for feminine products and certain “couples” products are interwoven into prime-time television.

(If you are a mom interested in trying to help make a collective stand to put a stop to some of these things, click here.)

How much more will society allow in the name of free speech/freedom of expression? And if we censor one type of free speech, do we jeopardize it all? Where is the balance? Can there even BE a balance?

What do you think?