There has been some interesting commentary regarding Free Speech and the decision of the Mozilla CEO to step down after it came to light that he had made personal donations in opposition to GLBT positions. Here is reality folks. I am free to say whatever I want. That is what makes the United States of America great. But with that great freedom MUST also come the responsibility to accept the consequences of what you say, both the good and the bad. Just like I am free to speak my mind, so are you, even if we disagree completely. Therefore, I, just like you, must be willing to take my lumps when my free speech may be ignorant, offensive, hateful, or just plain stupid. We cannot advocate for free speech and then complain when someone takes issue with what you say or do. Brendan Eich has my 100% support to talk about and contribute to whatever causes he personally deems appropriate. But as a public figure as any publicly traded stock company CEO is, he MUST be willing to allow for other people to exercise their free speech in opposition and utilize their free market options if they disagree with your position and shop elsewhere. That does not mean that Mr. Eich, or any other public figure, elected or not should be censored. What it does mean though, is that they need to be willing to stand by and accept the consequences of what they say.
Posted on: Tue, 08 Apr 2014 14:25:16 +0000