Freedom to express, and hope

Meredith Akuhata-Brown

Opinion

Having the freedom to express your opinion is something we perhaps have taken for granted in a world now struggling to define “free speech”. For some, “free speech is a flimsy argument”.

Nadine Strossen, author of the book HATE: Why We Should Resist it With Free Speech, Not Censorship says “Freedom has its risks. Suppression of freedom, I believe, is a sure prescription for disaster.”

Growing up in New Zealand there were always topics that were “taboo”, to be avoided at all costs; these included religion, sex, money and politics. The irony is that these are topics that feature prominently on all social media platforms. It seems the freedom of being a keyboard warrior makes it easy to share personal opinions, beliefs and information, both true and false.

Now there are huge concerns about such sharing online, and the growing number of membership groups that create platforms for like-minded people who question the official sanctioned or orthodox beliefs of the time and place.

The debate about freedom of speech has become so aggressive, and in typical human style we look to more rules and censorship and even law to sort the issue. In my view, we have more opportunity to share ideas and develop understanding when we speak to the issue both factually and empathetically.

Labelling people conspiracy theorists, or any label, is unhelpful when you are simply stating they disagree with the standard explanation for an event. I agree we can go down a rabbit hole here regarding some of the harm that has happened when people have shared a radical notion, and we have many historical events where a following of such notions has led to tragedy.

In New Zealand the Bill of Rights states that everyone has the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and opinions of any kind in any form.

However, there is increasing debate about narratives that can incite hate and cause harm; these views are often exacerbated by social media platforms and the way they can (ironically, in pandemic times) go viral.

While everyone has to endure the lockdown and make the most of the situation we all find ourselves in, the Government continues to push forward with policy and legislation as I guess required by a government.

One issue I notice within the whole Covid discussion is the different impacts this crisis has on communities, particularly vulnerable communities — which have existed for many decades, and I have watched them get worse over time.

Vulnerable communities are more infected because they are more exposed and less protected. Once infected, they are more likely to die because they carry a greater burden of chronic diseases from living in disinvested communities with poor food options, poisoned air quality, and because of unequal access to health care. Quarantine issues for essential workers are more difficult when you live in an overcrowded house.

My hope throughout these unprecedented times is that we would see more efforts to create a more equal world; a concentrated move to turn vulnerable communities around and recognised for their strengths, and these strengths built on.

Our Prime Minister misquoted Norman Kirk who actually said: “Basically there are four things that matter to people: they have to have somewhere to live, they have to have food to eat, they have to have clothing to wear, and they have to have something to hope for.”

Freedoms are fought for because they give us liberty and allow humanity to express themselves and hope.