A Simple Opinion on Freedom of Speech and the Charlie Hebdo Attacks

                In my eyes, the best argument in the articles is the opinion taken by Karl Sharro in The Atlantic article.  His belief that, “we should reassert the rights of satirical magazines and radical preachers alike to express their views, and the freedom of anyone and everyone to challenge them”, really points to the fact that everyone should have the right to say whatever they want without feeling in danger. In a perfect world, this is true, and everyone just says sticks and stones to any insult that may be made to them. However, this is not a perfect world, and as the Charlie Hebdo attacks clearly show; people have to be more careful about what they say for their own personal safety. I believe everyone should still have the right to say what they please, but they need to be wary of others opinions and reactions. If you do something that you think may anger another person, just be mindful of their reactions, and accept that their reactions are caused directly by your actions.  In all honesty, despite not doing anything “wrong” the cartoonists in Paris did publish some things that they knew might really annoy another large group of people. They took a risk, though they might not have known it, and the result was a direct reaction to what they published. Basically, you should have the right to do or say something that may anger another; however you need to be ready to have that person punch you square in the face. That goes for racist speech as well. Charles Lawrence claims in his article, “On Racist Speech” that using racial slurs “restricts the speech of minorities” whom they are spoken of. However, in my opinion, it is similar to the Charlie Hebdo situation. Some ignorant jerk should have the right to insult another human being for being a specific tone, however he better be ready for a proper response that may come of his actions. More or less, people need to take responsibility for things they do or say and not just point fingers. That being said, in no way do I condone the actions that took place in Paris. Did people have the right to be mad about the magazine, sure, but did they have the right to kill 12 people in response, of course not. It was a completely outrageous response for the satirical magazine’s actions. However, the magazine must admit that they, in some way, shape or form, were responsible for what occurred in Paris. ....  

An image of Muhammad from Charlie Hebdo. This type of image and many others are images that enraged parts of the Muslim Extremist Community. Translated, it reads, "100 lashes if you don't die laughing." Compared to some of the other depictions, this one is fairly mild.