Free Speech in the 21st
Century
By Kay
Bond
A The Traverse Bay Watershed Greens conducted an experiment in free speech this summer during Friday Night Live in downtown Traverse City. Using an old fashioned "soap box", we set about finding out if Americans of the mass media era could and would communicate on topics of general concern in person and in public.The experimenters soon learned that we were as inexperienced as the people we wished to engage. Some of the lessons we learned were:
(1) speaking to individuals in the crowd violated their personal space;(2) stories were less threatening and more likely to draw listeners than well thought out and documented speeches;
(3) getting off the box and into the street in an interview mode allowed the widest participation;
(4) it felt good the voice our concerns and opinions publicly;
(5) a sound system made the speaking easier than straining to project your voice and somehow made the speech flow better.
The experience also taught that while Americans hold "Free Speech" as one of our greatest freedoms, many do not know how it looks or feels. As people spoke, the audience was amused, indifferent, angry, confused while only a few were enthused and interested. "Free Speech" is totally dependant on the audience being willing to listen to speech with which they disagree. One man listened intently as Tom Shea spoke against the Missile Defense System, "Star Wars". The man then took his turn on the box to state his views in support of the Missile Defense System. He had a respectful audience. A woman came and listened week after week. She confided to me that she disagreed with some of what she heard, but sometimes what she heard changed her views and other times while she continued to hold her position she gained understanding of why people had opposing views. This same woman on at least two occasions spoke to local issues, urban sprawl and the future of Building 50 of the old State Hospital. These two people were outstanding examples of the success of the experiment.
Another group that exercised their right to "Free Speech", was the Guerrilla Action Group, GAG. They did street theater during the same Friday Night Live time in Traverse City. They performed as the Cell Phone SWAT TEAM, a skit designed to poke fun at our uptight, all-business and no fun society. That society is following the corporate mandate to globalize the economy without regard to human suffering or needs. Again, the audience did not know what to do. They are unaccustomed to interacting with live performances.
Concluding thoughts are: we need to continue to exercise our right to "Free Speech"; with exercise we will get in better shape as a democracy. We can be far more creative with the forms and format so the audience will feel more at ease. If you don't exercise your rights, you lose them.