Knowing When to Shut Up
This is a short, mild rant on the hidden rules for the freedom of speech. Most people think we have freedom of speech in this country. We do, but only from the government. If you say something politically unpopular our government can't necessarily censor you. The Patriot Act has encroached on this right to a certain degree, but if you are willing to speak your mind and defend yourself during an investigation, you still can say what you need to say. However if your employer decides it doesn't like what you are saying, even when you are not at work, they can fire you. Even if it has nothing to do with your employment. You can blog in favor of starting a union and be protected, but if you talk about your views on abortion and they don't jive with your boss' view then you can get a pink slip.
Personally, I think if you have something to say, you should say it. You weigh in your mind what you are willing to sacrifice, then carry your opinion as far as you feel comfortable. I've had numerous discussions with people about how far they are willing to go to get a point across. It always comes down to the almighty dollar. When someone threatens to cut off your salary, you usually shut up. And that threat can be simply implied or interpreted as such, it doesn't have to actually be stated
For example, I asked if you were working for a contractor at NASA on January 28th, 1986 and you felt absolutely certain that the O-rings were going to fail and the crew on the shuttle would be killed, how far would you go to stop the flight? Would you argue with your boss? Would you argue with your boss' boss? Would you call the newspaper? Would you jump in a van and haul ass toward the launch pad making certain to be seen? To this day I have never had anyone tell me they would be willing to go to jail or even give up their salary to save the lives of those seven astronauts. Granted, if you had stopped the flight, we would probably have never known for a fact that the spacecraft would have exploded. The atmospheric conditions would have changed and they would have likely made another launch window and successfully flown. You would suffer the consequences, but that crew would have been saved. Perhaps the next one wouldn't, but no one will ever know.
I think my points are: How strongly do you feel about certain issues? What are you willing to do to be heard? What are you willing to sacrifice to get your message across? I'm not talking about anarchy or terrorism. I'm talking about intelligent people making informed decisions and consciously deciding the proper action to take. We need people in this country that are capable of making sound decisions based on the most important issues. We need a generation of citizens that focus on the things that are good for people, not just what makes a buck. If you see anybody that matches that description, let me know.
Personally, I think if you have something to say, you should say it. You weigh in your mind what you are willing to sacrifice, then carry your opinion as far as you feel comfortable. I've had numerous discussions with people about how far they are willing to go to get a point across. It always comes down to the almighty dollar. When someone threatens to cut off your salary, you usually shut up. And that threat can be simply implied or interpreted as such, it doesn't have to actually be stated
For example, I asked if you were working for a contractor at NASA on January 28th, 1986 and you felt absolutely certain that the O-rings were going to fail and the crew on the shuttle would be killed, how far would you go to stop the flight? Would you argue with your boss? Would you argue with your boss' boss? Would you call the newspaper? Would you jump in a van and haul ass toward the launch pad making certain to be seen? To this day I have never had anyone tell me they would be willing to go to jail or even give up their salary to save the lives of those seven astronauts. Granted, if you had stopped the flight, we would probably have never known for a fact that the spacecraft would have exploded. The atmospheric conditions would have changed and they would have likely made another launch window and successfully flown. You would suffer the consequences, but that crew would have been saved. Perhaps the next one wouldn't, but no one will ever know.
I think my points are: How strongly do you feel about certain issues? What are you willing to do to be heard? What are you willing to sacrifice to get your message across? I'm not talking about anarchy or terrorism. I'm talking about intelligent people making informed decisions and consciously deciding the proper action to take. We need people in this country that are capable of making sound decisions based on the most important issues. We need a generation of citizens that focus on the things that are good for people, not just what makes a buck. If you see anybody that matches that description, let me know.
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