Rights and Responsibilities

My last post, see here, got me to thinking about freedom of speech. Lately a lot of people, primarily on the left, have suggested that we have lost the bulk of our freedoms. In particular freedom of speech.

Well, obviously I disagree, let me explain.

I think every right comes tightly enmeshed with its attendant responsibility. You want to protest the war? Fine, but your responsibility is to suggest some workable solution. You want to create a game in which killing cops is the object? Fine, then you should be held accountable for every single cop who's killed after the creation and distribution of your stinky ass game.

No freedom is absolute. Freedom is joined with responsibility like a team in a potato sack race.

Back in the eighties we were pleased as punch to fight monsters and aliens as we feed quarters into the glowing maws of the video games. An interesting turn is that back then we fought "The Bad Guy", Now kids fight "The Good Guy? Is this an advance?

Why do we outlaw pedophile pornagraphy? The only person to be banned from our household had the temerity to defend this crazed, sick crap. He also advocated for hardcore pornography on broadcast television where children could watch.

Is he wrong?

The obvious answer is yes, yes he's wrong because there must be some standard, and I'll be the first to acknowledge the dangerous ticklish nature of what I espouse. I write, I do music, both of these things are quite susceptible to censorship, and yet I would say I think we can find a balance.

You are not free to teach another how to produce a nuke. Does anybody quibble this is a bad thing?

You are not free to share sensitive information with the enemy in a war. Again, anybody want to argue this point?

When I was a kid my grandfather took me out to a field to teach me how to fire a shotgun. We brought along a watermelon. After about a half an hour he placed the watermelon in front of the target and asked me to shoot it. I did.

As we stood over it, inspecting the gaping hole, he turned to me and quietly said, "Now imagine if that were a person". Yow, that's all it took. Message received. Nicely done Gramps!

I now had instant respect for the awesome power conferred by the firearm in my hand. This was no toy, when you picked up a gun it was to be all business.

That message stuck with me and on that day I learned that every right comes with a responsibility. Sometimes the question isn't can it be built? Rather, should it be built?