Lesson 2 Inquiry

Inquiry

How does the Right to Freedom of Expression Conflict with our Responsibility to Consider the Rights of Others?

“I’m rubber; you’re glue. Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you." This was a common response when someone said something unkind on the playground. However, today, there are other ways of dealing with playground conversations such as anti-bullying laws across Canada.

Democracy is built upon the idea that people govern themselves. How can we govern ourselves based on morality (a sense of right and wrong) and taking responsibility for our choices?

In this inquiry, a problem has arisen on the playground. Suppose one student tells another that his/her hat is ugly. Should this be forbidden?

Consider the following.

• Is it more important to have the freedom to say whatever you want or to protect others by being careful about what you say?
  
• Has the person who made this statement been hurtful on purpose? Were they joking? How would you know?
• Do speakers have the responsibility to keep their opinions to themselves or the right to speak their minds? 
• Is it the hat-wearer's responsibility not to be hurt by such criticism? Keep in mind there are no "freedom from feeling offended" laws.
• Is it more important to be able to say what is true, than to suppressed a statement because it may hurt feelings? 
• Is the statement necessary, for example to protect the person from future teasing?
• Is the purpose of law to protect society by outlawing physical violence and crimes that leave long-term damage on the victims, or is the purpose of a law to set a moral standard such as kindness?
• Where do we draw the line on what word or tone is legal and that which is illegal?

Choose one of the following situations on which you will gather responses from family and friends.

1. A problem occurs on the school playground when one student calls another student's hat "ugly". The student who made the comment is later arrested because someone nearby was offended. Has this student's freedom of expression been unjustifiably limited?
2. A toy company wants to air television advertisements aimed at children. The province does not allow commercial advertising aimed at children under 13. Does this law unjustifiably limit freedom of expression? 
3. The Gazette, the school-sponsored newspaper of Campbell Elementary, is written and edited by students. The school principal has found two of the articles in the issue to be inappropriate, and ordered that the pages on which the articles appeared be withheld from publication. Has the principal unjustifiably limited freedom of expression?
   

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