There are several threads in this group in which the use of profane language has upset some members, in some cases sufficiently from them to leave the group. Id like to suggest we look at this issue from a practical point of view, not a philosophical one. I suspect most of us would defend everyones right to freedom of speech and that includes their choice of language. But the real point here is not the right to free speech, its what you are trying to achieve when you do speak. This group is one of many whose aim is to take Scotland further along the journey of political autonomy and independence. The reality is that at the moment more Scots disagree with those aims than agree with them and the task before the minority is, therefore, to persuade that majority to change its mind. That means arguing the Yes case with the various sub-groups that make up that majority in a manner that is acceptable to them. One of the largest segments that voted No are the over-55s and if the case for independence is to succeed a significant number of them will need to be persuaded to change their minds. Whether everyone likes it or not, many of these people have grown up in a society in which profane language is considered distasteful and socially unacceptable. We cannot change this and it is no good telling these people they should be more tolerant - tolerance works both ways and that includes being more tolerant of those with more socially conservative views. It is surely totally counterproductive to the aims of this group to conduct itself in a manner that alienates the very people it is trying to encourage to join it. If I am an over-55 No voter, who is open to listening to arguments for the Yes case, why on earth would I engage with a group of people that conducts its discourse in language I find offensive? If I see that people arguing the Yes case conduct themselves in this way, am I not less likely to want to change my mind and join them. Does their conduct not reinforce my current feeling that they are out to destroy everything that I have grown up with and value in Scottish society? So to reiterate my point. If members of this group believe that exercising their freedom of speech, whatever the consequences, is more important than achieving the aims of the group, perhaps they should think again about whether it is right group for them. If the aim of the group is to contribute to persuading significant numbers of No voters to change their minds, it is surely incumbent on all group members to conduct themselves in a manner that is most likely to achieve that aim.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 02:26:35 +0000
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