Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, plus Wilfred.

Earlier today i got myself involved in a small debate with Sprozz in regards to his recent street speech. One of the matters bought up, funnily enough, was that of 'Free Speech'. The speech in question can be found here

This got me thinking more into the subject as it appears to be a bit of a grey are right now. I am going to be presenting what I believe free speech exactly is, meanwhile attempting to educate some of the people around here that maybe confused or just have no fucking idea about the whole thing. So, a few things i'll attempt to answer:

What is free speech?

Who is entitled to free speech?

When and where can i use free speech?

What are the rules of free speech?

Let's begin, friends.

What is free speech?

Well, where to start? I guess people have different views of it but i'll start with the very basics to begin with. Free speech is the ability to hit the streets and get your views and opinions across in a particular subject matter. You have a brain, you have ideals, you have opinions, views, thoughts, wishes, etc etc. Well...you also have a voice, so if you got something to say, say it! Spit it out, get it off your mind. Hell, maybe people will even take notice of you and take an interest in what you have to say. People won't always agree with you and that is the beauty of free speech, everyone is different and quite rightly so, they should be heard.

Who is entitled to free speech?

Guess who? YOU! That's right. Not just you, but everyone here. Every single person is entitled to talk. It's just how you do it. It would be a crying shame if someone was banned from talking and had to remain a mute. I like to talk, mostly shit but i still love to spew words out of my mouth. I have a voicebox for a reason so i'll be damn sure to use the bastard. I do appreciate however that some people are not so talkative, that is their personality and their own right, but it is nice to know that if they did have something to say then they should have no hesitation to do so.

When and where can i use free speech?

How about, everywhere! If you're walking down the streets and you see some punk standing on the corner preaching his ass off, making an announcement or debating about something then there is no reason why you can't join in if you feel the urge to do so. It can keep you up to date on things, get you noticed and maybe even make some friends in the process. You have the ability to do it, so use it whenever the fuck you like.

Now for the most important one.

What are the rules of free speech?

Now that is a very good question. For me personally, there is only one single rule: DO NOT BE DIS-RESPECTFUL! I love nothing more than to get stuck in to a good debate, sometimes those debates can get quite heated. It is all too easy to fall into the trap of going from debating to arguing to dis-respect, and if you're dis-respectful to the wrong people then things probably won't look too great for your future. Debating > Fine. Arguing > Depends who with. Is there really any need? Dis-respect > Not cool.

Thor notices one member of the crowd looking quite confused. He realises he is a new thug to the shores. He smiles at him and continues.

You see people, there are a few unwritten rules in regards to free speech. Well, not necessarily rules but more to do with common sense. There are certain factors that should be taken into account. Things such as; Who is the originator? Who are you adressing? Who are you exactly? What is the topic at hand? Is your input really needed?

Thor's attention is caught once more by the young thug who now looks so confused his head could blow up at any time now.

When debates get heated you need to know your place. You need to ensure that you're in a position to open your mouth, especially if things start getting out of hand. For example if you're an associate you're still pretty much a small fry. You're a small fish in a big pond. It is quite rare that anyone actually cares for for your opinion because you're nothing special. You are on tight leash, so to speak. On the other hand if you have made your bones in your family and been honored with your made button then you have more of a say, you're a respected mobster and when you speak, people take more notice. With that comes the burden of whatever you say being directly linked to your crew and city, so you need to be damn careful to how you go about things. If you are the small fry and start talking down to a button man then that is not acceptable, a nobody simply can not talk to a somebody like they are a piece of shit. This works in many ways though, such as a a button man addressing a Godfather. Whether you are right or wrong, respect is a must.

Thor notices the young thug raise his hand

"Thor, what if it is the other way round and the button man is dis-respecting an associate?"

Thor chuckles

Well, kid. That's life. This is the mafia and there is a rank structure for a reason. So long as the button man is in his rights and has valid grounds then he is pretty much free to say what he wants to you. Having said that, as a highly respected member of the community then he should know better than to waste his time with you. In some instances respect works both ways.

"But Thor, that does not seem fair at all!?"

Thor laughs out loud

Life isn't fair. This is the mafia, nothing we do is fair. Anyway, you don't have to respect the person, just respect the rank. You'll do well to remember that.

Thor nods at the youngster and sighs

So, what have i missed? Hmm...Oh! That's the one.

Just going back to having a say and knowing your place. I am a Wise Guy, a mere associate. I come out here to address people of all ranks, from Thug to Godfather. I am a nobody who is speaking up about what he believes. Some will agree, some will not. Do i really care? Nope. I have used my free speech to come out here and do this without being dis-respectful and when someone comes along and dis-agrees, wants to debate or even argue then fine, i am more than happy to do so but i will take the factors we have just spoken about into account and remain respectful at all times.

Remember folks, everyone has free speech. It's all about the/your position and how you use it.

I look forward to hearing peoples thoughts.

Thor

all i know is the phrase 'free speech' is beginning to grate

if somewhere in your head a voice is saying ' saying this might cause me trouble' dont say it

or say it and take the consequences

I agree with Wade.  This topic is grating, but good to get through it so we don't have to talk about it anymore.

Call it what you want, but let's call it something other than Free Speech.

Free Speech is a legal right given to us by our Constitution.  It protects us against government intervention.  It has nothing to do with this life we've chosen.

We can call it something like SPEAK. 

Everyone here can speak.  Period.  That is all. 

Obviously we have to watch what we say. 

So, we can speak,but there are limits to what we can say.  There, I said it in 13 words or less. 

you have the freedom to speak i have the freedom to react

if we start talking about what the goverment allow and do not allow we would have no freedom PERIOD

I think there is a lot of room to say what you want but is not what you say, is how you say it half the time.  Now in one breath i can say someone has a strangle hold on power, or i can insult them calling them all sorts of tyrants and how they are spoiling my fun.  One offers some maturity and can be borderline risky or may feed their ego, the other will just make me look like a petulant child.

I think free speech exists if your careful with it, but it comes with a risk unless like sprozz mentioned in his speech you have friends in the right places

There is no free speech in the mafia world. There is in society! But, as I figure of as now. There is no free speech at all.

There is free speech but..... There are consiqences to your speech, If you come out and run your mouth and slight every GodFather or Mother in the 8 cities chances are you end up dead.

Now if you have a problem and bring it to the street ina respectfull manner, Chances are you can start a debate and it just might be put on an agenda for the family heads to talk about.

It comes down to how you want to bring it to the streets as Thor and many others have pointed out theres a wrong way and a right way, Its up to you which way you choose.