Wednesday 20 January 2016

Free Speech and Hearing


Overheard after an item about the impact of age on hearing on the Today programme on Radio 4.

Chairman: "I've noticed you can't hear some of the high pitched sounds I hear. You don't even hear your phone ringing sometimes."

Hay: "Ive noticed you don't hear me when I'm talking to you."

Chairman: "That's just selective detuning."


Should the right to free speech be upheld in all cases? I think not - it's not an all-or-nothing. Like most things it's a continuum and there comes a point (and that point can be different for all people, as they too are a continuum) when enough is enough and it strays into just bad manners or incitement. Determining the boundary, however, is fraught with problems.

Analyse and discuss.


2 comments:

potty said...

Selective hearing can be funny with couples but poor hearing can really get you down when the brain does not 'get' the pertinant words and the speaker is unable to remember the word and says 'thingy'.
Rights to Free Speech only with Responsibilities not to stray to bad manners or incitement.
(Please see on UTube The Flying Robot Rockstars. A light and accurate touch when flying drones.)

Steve Borthwick said...

Sorry, did you say something?