Freedom of Speech and Life in the U.S.
I understand that a lack of freedom of speech is a legal/political issue in other countries and the U.S. is thought of as a country with freedom of speech. Yet there is a lack of freedom of speech in the U.S. that is social and cultural. Here's what we can't talk about in "polite society" (generally only among very trusted small groups):
* race, racism, racial issues (especially with people of a different race - except I have that in a small group in my church and it's more a problem for whites than African Americans and others, but even though non-whites are becoming the majority ["majority minority" - what an oxymoron! - we need new language to express this phenomenon], whites are still the majority with the power)
* sex, gender differences, & sexuality (except among very intimate friends and OWL facilitators and some information with certain people who've participated in OWL and/or Welcoming Congregation)
* a life experience without higher education among a group of people who have higher education
* finances & different ways of handling money matters (& different levels or lack of or possession of "wealth" with people who are of a different economic class)
* cannabis (though the conversation is expanding in "polite society" with the introduction and passage of medical marijuana laws - with a lot of opposition, in spite of good studies showing its good affects and its illegal status's origins and the affects on society [and other drugs])
* getting in trouble, breaking the law, and having been in prison
* mental illness, and other things.
Some of these things can be talked about more comfortably among young adults, but young adults are often uncomfortable talking to older people about these things.
And they say you shouldn't talk about politics and religion in "polite company" also, but most people I know do.
Most UUs are polite and to live by our principles including "compassion", we need to be aware of another person's discomfort. So we need a covenant - Right Relations Covenant to have an agreement of how we'll treat each other and talk about sensitive issues respectfully. This is especially needed in diverse communities with differences in culture, beliefs, backgrounds, education, social class, race, abilities, and/or age.
We need to talk about tough issues to then act and make the world a better place to live (the 6th principle of Unitarian Universalism and what a lot of people of different beliefs say they're trying to do) - usually starting with our own little piece of it, so some may prefer to say "make life better" rather than "the world...".
Note: The links are for further information or explanation of their usage in this post.
* race, racism, racial issues (especially with people of a different race - except I have that in a small group in my church and it's more a problem for whites than African Americans and others, but even though non-whites are becoming the majority ["majority minority" - what an oxymoron! - we need new language to express this phenomenon], whites are still the majority with the power)
* sex, gender differences, & sexuality (except among very intimate friends and OWL facilitators and some information with certain people who've participated in OWL and/or Welcoming Congregation)
* a life experience without higher education among a group of people who have higher education
* finances & different ways of handling money matters (& different levels or lack of or possession of "wealth" with people who are of a different economic class)
* cannabis (though the conversation is expanding in "polite society" with the introduction and passage of medical marijuana laws - with a lot of opposition, in spite of good studies showing its good affects and its illegal status's origins and the affects on society [and other drugs])
* getting in trouble, breaking the law, and having been in prison
* mental illness, and other things.
Some of these things can be talked about more comfortably among young adults, but young adults are often uncomfortable talking to older people about these things.
And they say you shouldn't talk about politics and religion in "polite company" also, but most people I know do.
Most UUs are polite and to live by our principles including "compassion", we need to be aware of another person's discomfort. So we need a covenant - Right Relations Covenant to have an agreement of how we'll treat each other and talk about sensitive issues respectfully. This is especially needed in diverse communities with differences in culture, beliefs, backgrounds, education, social class, race, abilities, and/or age.
We need to talk about tough issues to then act and make the world a better place to live (the 6th principle of Unitarian Universalism and what a lot of people of different beliefs say they're trying to do) - usually starting with our own little piece of it, so some may prefer to say "make life better" rather than "the world...".
Note: The links are for further information or explanation of their usage in this post.