GHAMDI “Safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end of a human being.” Khalil Gibran To judge is merely human; it is within the translation of judgments that the issue lies. Nowadays, some people abuse language because they emphasize the intention that justifies the expression. The development of technology and social networking websites has been a success but it has also led to miscommunication. Sitting in front of computer screens allows us to express ourselves and our opinions without actual confrontation. However, for some that shield gives them the immunity to voice their opinions according to what they consider to be the proper rules and regulations of criticism. Disagreement is an individual right but it should not cross the line of morality and infringe on the rights of another individual, and if the other party is well known, he is obliged to maintain even higher standards, and if he does not, his morality will be questioned regardless of the slurs thrown at him. While some have the courage to own up to what they post online, others claim that their accounts have been hacked. This might be true but lately this excuse has become a popular shield of immunity. Some have the courage to display their real names online while others create anonymous accounts and misuse that privacy because they know that they cannot be recognized. Sarcasm and comedy are other shields that are being used nowadays. I have noticed that some people here stretch ethical boundaries by using tragic stories as a punch line which benefits their own propaganda or simply to have a say even if that say goes beyond the boundaries of appropriateness, mainly to satisfy their obsession to compete for an audience. While we are faced with sarcasm and comedy as a shield of immunity, lately, ideology and religion are also being used by some people as another profound form of shield. When the speaker or in this case “writer” of a post hides behind religion and ideology, there are few of us who will question what is written because we assume that the person is learned on the topic due to his/her extensive use of metaphors and verses. We never stop to check if that information is correct but rather rely on the person's position in society or their academic status. You must have noticed how some people in our society use religion as a pedestal to present themselves as being righteous and pure. Those who use religion as a shield tend to judge the most and that creates a huge gap between religion and people, and it also creates an unhealthy fear of religion. Humanity is the main aspect that inspires morality and we translate that humanity through words and behavior. Choosing the translation of your thoughts, opinions and disagreement should not be misguided by the false concept of freedom of speech that fails to protect you from its consequences. In my opinion I think freedom of speech remains within the territory of the mind. Nevertheless making mistakes is part of being a human but you owe it to yourself and others to have the decency to apologize instead of relying on excuses or depending on the immunity of hiding behind shields that will eventually lead to the negligence of your own conscience. And this is what we do not want in our society. — Esraa Al-Ghamdi is a Saudi poet. She can be reached at [email protected] __
