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Um, Can I have my Freedom of Speech Back?
Well lately it seems that what I post on the internet is not taken seriously or worst as the inane ramblings of a 20 year old male who has no college degree who therefore by logic knows nothing of the world around him regardless of how open his eyes are.
Truly astonishing.
Since when does a piece of paper say I know more than someone else? Congratulations. You have a piece of paper that says you paid money to learn something that could be learned for free. You may even be able to recall that information at any given time granted you went to class, paid attention, and passed with something more than a “C’ average. I applaud your efforts and yet I understand that it is all needed to find the cheese.
You know what else is truly astonishing?
Freedom of Speech is fast becoming a joke amongst people, primarily those in authoritative positions, i.e. managers, politicians, religious leaders, etc.
We have been so caught up in the P.C. phenomenon that has swept through our television and other means of communication that we are now unable to express ourselves as we see fit in fear that we may offend someone or it may be deemed “socially unacceptable” or worse, “unprofessional.”
I say psssh to P.C.
Is it so wrong to simply state a fact or facts in their simplest terms? Sounds mathematical doesn’t it?
Today’s society says it is Ok for an employer to locate information that you post about yourself or personal ideals and thoughts and use them against you. That doesn’t seem fair does it? They have something to hang you with and you can’t even defend yourself. It’s sad that a business would stoop so low as to pursue such a thing. It is almost as though the business is looking to fire people, which is odd because the business is always saying that we are not looking for ways to fire you.
But wait… it might harm the reputation of the business you work for!!! That’s right. Right now as you type something to someone it may hurt the reputation of the business you work for. Granted, the fact that wages in many Clarksville businesses are lowest in their industries is not a factor. Neither is the fact that the standards are set pretty high are more contributing factors than maybe someone saying something in regards to increased competition in order to drive wages and preformance.
Consider the following equation if you will:
I pay you “X” and you give me “Y” and the result will be “Z”
So lets plug in factors for X,Y,Z:
I pay you “$12.00 an hr” and you give me “Good Consistant Performance” and the result will be “a happy work enviroment and the opportunity to get higher raises due to bonuses recieved for meeting the Good Consistant Performance standard not to mention the money I just saved by not having to train another person.”
Or:
I pay you “$15.00 an hr” and you give me “Great Consistant Performance” and the result will be “a happier work enviroment and of course the opportunity to get even better raises due to bonuses recieved for meeint the Great Consistant Performance standard not to mention the money I just saved by not having to train another person.”
Ha! They say “I don’t know nothing,” but you get the picture.
The formula can be adapted to any business plan.
Before I go I want to impart a few helpful tips to those loyal readers out there:
1.) If you are going to express your opinions and support capitialistic free trade competition on an open website be prepared to take some heat from the kitchen as this God given Constitutional protected right will be questioned at length for no gain other than to attempt to intimidate someone into being quiet.
2.) Using your real name as a username on an open website and not lying about it when asked kinda throws some people off because they are not used to the truth.
3.) Be prepared to be watched like a hawk both online and at work. You can go in two different directions with this aspect. Be careful. You never know who is watching, judging you, so be sure to use good grammar and spell check often as to avoid embarassing mistakes. If you’re going to get talked to about what you wrote, you don’t want it to look like a three-year-old wrote it.
4.) In an attempt to avoid a higher level of flame from said kitchen avoid particular names of companies or employees. That only draws people’s attention to your opinion faster.
So be sure to excercise your Freedom of Speech until it is a fully developed weapon of truth telling and remember: “The pen is mightier than the sword” your congressmen exemplify this truth everyday. Don’t know what I am talking about? Go ask a veteran.
About Christopher Lee 
Currently riding the ride called life, dealing with the ups and downs associated with it. I consider myself a very aware person, concerned with the state our nation and the world in general. I write from the heart and am strong in my beliefs. I do not waiver in my beliefs, but respect other's ability to believe something different. I am currently attending college at APSU, working towards my B.S. in Political Science with a Concentration in Legal Studies. I am employed by Convergys Corp. and have worked there since 2005.
Web Site: http://www.myspace.com/christopher_for_office
Email:
Chrisopher.lee@gmail.com
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Free Speech, Political CorrectnessOne Response to “Um, Can I have my Freedom of Speech Back?”
Comments
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May 26th, 2007 at 9:42 am
Christopher, this is a good piece. I think your message is pretty clear, and it’s very important that what we say in our private lives DOES reflect on our employer.
I’m keenly aware of this. My job is pretty high-profile in my company, and I literally travel the country as its representative. I’m always keeping this in mind when I start prattling on about GLBT rights or politics in general.
I’m reminded of what a friend of mine said over at the http://board.revolutionchurch.com website: “The right to swing your arms ends at the other guy’s nose.” I’d be foolish to speak out publicly against a company for which I’m employed for a great many reasons. The first reason is that I actually love my job. They’re great people to work with, and I love what I do.
The second reason is that while the right to free speech is indeed a Constitutional right according to the First Amendment, it does not apply when private business is concerned.
Keep in mind that the Constitution is for the Federal government. Even the freedom of religion is restricted to Congress: “Congress shall pass no law respecting the establishment of religion nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” This means that even though I’m a pastor of a small church, I should not go about preaching while at my job. I wasn’t hired to preach Christ. I was hired to do the task for which I am employed.
Sadly, some believe that they have as much a right to proselytize while at work as they do on the street. If an employer has a policy that mandates that an employee remain at their post except while on break, then the employer has a right to fire that employee if they violate that policy.
This is a little different when the Internet comes into play. If an employee were to defame their employer on a public blog, then that employer has a right… and even a responsibility to take action. After all, Tennessee is one of the few states that is a “right to fire” state, which says that anyone can be terminated from their job for any reason. Unfortunately, this opens up many employers to civil lawsuits more than usual.
Some employers have a clear process that must be followed when someone is terminated. That manager should have documentation out the wazoo before making the decision to fire someone. Others just say, “You’re fired. Get out.”
So is there free speech while at work? Well, no. For example, there’s not free speech at a call center. Employees are not permitted to say certain things over the phone. If I were to tell my US senator that I think he’s a jerk and has no business being in that office, then there’s free speech. But if I were to say that to a customer, my free speech (and possibly my job as well) goes right out the window.
So yes, people should indeed be careful. What we say is a direct reflection of ourselves, our education, and ultimately, our employer. Let’s use that power of speech wisely!
Again, good piece!