Freedom vs responsibility of speech

This post in partially inspired by the recent debacle concerning Prof Thio Li Ann and her invitation to speak at a human rights event hosted by a European Union delegate in Singapore. Prof Thio Li Ann was known to have made homophobic remarks back in 2007 with regard to the legalisation of sex between two men. During her speech this year, civil union activists held a silent protest:

Taken off Kirsten Han's Facebook timeline

The full article from The Straits Times can be found here: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/activists-protest-law-dons-speech-pro-family-groups-back#1

So the whole issue is that the conservative, pro-family, anti-gay group is accusing the civil union activists of "censorship" and denying them a voice (even though the protesters have remained completely silent throughout Prof Thio's speech). Yes it is the whole question of "freedom of speech" once again, I keep seeing "freedom of speech" being tossed around by people who don't practise responsibility along with it. 

There are communities living under oppression of the more powerful communities in this world, and many times this oppression happens because of how a person is born. People get discriminated by their skin colour, sexual orientation, gender... things that they were born with. In progressive, enlightened societies people have acknowledged that discrimination on the basis of someone's being is backward and intolerant, and this is why in some countries, homophobic, sexist and racist speech is classified as hate speech and is a criminally chargeable offense. 

You may think as a person of ethnic majority/a heterosexual your rights are being trampled on by a minority or a LGBT person/a feminist asking for protection against hateful rhetoric, but you are not getting it. Beyond your little squabble with another individual lies a system that has placed that individual at a social, economical or political disadvantage (i.e. that individual you are dealing with comes from a marginalised community) and this individual is fighting for his/her rights to be recognised as being as fully human as you are. 

People in the States are so worked up about anti-blackness in America when black people are at risk of being victims of police brutality everyday. (google Ferguson shooting, it's late and I cannot be bothered to insert any links) People in Singapore are worked up against a (rather bizarre choice of) homophobic professor speaking at a human rights event because everyday LGBT people are being chased from their homes, subject to cruel torture in churches so they can turn straight again, being bullied into suicide, not having the same legal rights as a one-man-one-woman married couple etc. People all around the world are worked up about Julien Blanc because every single day women are being beaten, raped, have acid thrown on their face for the smallest reasons- a woman in Germany just got beaten to death for protecting two teenage girls who were being harassed in public, care to google?

So next time you want to complain that you ought to have your freedom to say "If women can hit men why can't men hit that stupid bitch come on enough with extreme feminism" or things like "Psychopaths and rapists deserve to have (the penal code that outlaws sex between two men) repealed against them than the LGBT community does because psychopaths cannot help it whereas LGBTs made that choice"- maybe consider the fact that you have the state, the constitution, the law enforcers, society in general backing you up. Oppressed groups don't. Women are only politically seen as fully human less than 100 years ago (when the suffrages gave us the right to vote). Don't even get me started on the LGBT community and foreign workers in Singapore*.

The fact that none of us are in prison for sharing our opinions on social media shows that Singapore at least does have some respect for freedom of expression. Good, so you've managed not to be obnoxious enough to be thrown into prison or become a social pariah- what are you going to do with your freedom of speech then? Are you going to share something positive everyday or hurt someone with your words because of what they were born with? I have lots of friends who are against gay marriage and there is nothing wrong with that because they disagree respectfully. I'm speaking to those who made that conscious choice to be hateful with their words, people who are hell bent on driving minority groups into oblivion. If the worst thing that's ever happened to you was to have your freedom of speech taken from you, you are very, very privileged.

*Yes, and about foreign workers in Singapore. Singaporean Chinese are quick to call white people racist at even the slightest incidents, while having no qualms about being totally racist and xenophobic towards ethnic minorities in Singapore. 

Look, being an ethnic minority of Asian descent in a developed city has given me some barrier in integrating into the British community but the experience is a very different thing from being an ethnic minority in Singapore. I'm speaking from the point of view of a university student in the UK- as someone who has economic power, speaks English as a first language and had no problems meeting all the Visa requirements to come to London. In a university the community is very diverse and international to begin with, so naturally people generally tend to be accepting and tolerant. (It also helps that the UK is a liberal and progressive nation) Any difficulties we (relatively rich) Asian students, migrants or tourists encounter are probably just limited to making friends and being social. Migrant workers in Singapore mostly don't speak English, live in terrible conditions, are lowly paid, usually mistreated (Little India Riots, anyone? I'm not saying the riots were justified, I'm just saying something must have triggered them). They cannot even make ends meet, never mind make friends with and integrate with Singaporeans.

Secondly, are white people really as racist as Singaporean Chinese people make them out to be? I think the British are really one of the nicest communities I've come across. A lot of Asian people have interacted with and made friends with white people- even if you have never met a white person, you could always sit down with a Singaporean who has a white friend and ask them- "Hey you're friends with ______? How is he/she? Can I be friends with him/her too? Is it difficult to be friends with someone from a different culture?" But no... instead they choose to stick with their deep-rooted beliefs that all white people are racist, just like they choose to believe all women are materialistic or all Filipino domestic workers will get pregnant and elope if not kept on a chain and leash, or that all LGBT people are sexually deviant freaks who will turn their kids into rainbow-farting monsters.

People of diverse backgrounds are telling you their stories, their experiences all the time. What can I do when people choose not to listen? Sorry, I forgot freedom of hate speech was more important.

P.S. I don't think reverse racism or reverse sexism is okay, but I will not be discussing it in this post.