Report: Behaviour in Workplace
by Shahinur Islam
A place
where people work is usually called a workplace. It, obviously or less
obviously, shares some common practices, ideas, values, and habits for workers
to do their jobs productively, effectively, and conveniently. This is the trend
of corporate culture in today’s globalized business world. But as the business
is spreading across the globe—neither confined to a region nor to a country, it
involves more people from different backgrounds, cultures, languages, and
religions. Therefore, the behaviour in workplace has also changed, and still is
changing tremendously. We know everything needs to be redefined for fulfilling
the demands of the new age. So is true of behaviour in today’s workplace. Now
let’s explore it against the context of multicultural business environment in
Canada.
Though
Canada is a multicultural country, she needs to increase productivity and
creativity through her workplace. But it is not easy to determine when people
of different cultures, languages, and opinions migrate here. On the other hand,
it is a prerequisite to share some common practices and values in workplace. So
what should be its behaviour traits in workplace? Although workplace culture is
not the same in every organization, there are some basic behaviour patterns
shared across the country. In our social, cultural, familial, or political
life, we expect some common behaviour traits, such as respect, cooperation,
positive thinking, etc. Similarly, we expect them in business place. Aside from
this, there are some values for a workplace, which have been specified by its
workplace manual, or code of conduct book.
To explore
the values of workplace behaviour in Canada, some common codes of conduct
regardless of any organization are found. For example, there must not be any
discrimination irrespective of race, culture, religion, sex, marital status,
physical disability, political orientation, or place of origin because it
decreases overall productivity and creativity of the employees in an
organization. Another example is that violence of any form is not tolerated,
that is—to ensure a safer workplace because it also brings about less
productivity, and works as a bar to creativity. If any form of violence occurs,
it must be dealt with immediately.
To speak of
other traits, there are mainly two types of behaviour patterns in workplace in
Canada—cultural pattern and pure business behaviour pattern. The cultural
pattern of behaviour springs from the cultural values, tradition, and attitudes
of the Canadians practiced for a long time.
Both pure
business behaviour pattern and cultural behaviour pattern are equally
important. They are valued all over Canada. Cultural behaviour includes greetings,
pleasantries, addressing, etc. To elaborate it further, first comes greetings,
that is, employees should shake hands when they first meet someone or before
meetings and interviews. ‘Good morning/afternoon’ is also a good practice with
someone they meet regularly. Canadians usually call people by their first name,
particularly after they get to know one another, though when they meet someone
for the first time, it is expected to address him or her by Mr. or Ms. So is
true when they write emails or letters for business or official purposes. And
in some professions, it is common to refer to professionals such as doctors,
lawyers, teachers, etc. by their last name or Mr. Ms. or Dr. Second comes the
verbal communication. That is, a small talk is common in the workplace, in
which people discuss everyday matters, such as weather, family, sports, or
entertainment. But they usually do not discuss their personal information, such
as religion, salary, or age. They also consider it a bad manner when someone
interrupts people in a conversation to change subjects. The last point is non-verbal
communication or body language. That is, eye contact throughout a conversation
is highly valued as it shows the listener’s interest and attention towards the
speaker. And for personal space, one should not move any closer than an arm’s
length from another person’s body (The Canadian workplace, n.d.).
Like
cultural behaviour pattern, business has also its own values, habits,
attitudes, and codes of conduct in its workplace. First of all, the employees
are expected to be punctual, to be aware of and carry out their roles and
responsibilities properly. Second, they should know how to work as team members
and know how to work as an independent member, in which they will show their
initiative and proactive role in every step. Because Canadian culture is highly
individualistic, employees are expected to make independent decision-making rather
than group-consultation. Besides, looser and less permanent relationships are
expected between people compared to other cultures. They also prefer direct
praise and criticism rather than indirect ones. Third, they will make
suggestions and ask questions when necessary because it empowers them and makes
them feel the company of their own. Fourth, their attitudes towards work and
time incorporate a strong division between personal and professional life, an
emphasis on deadlines rather than relationship, a stress on punctuality. The
last point is that coworkers will maintain informal work relationship. In other
words, they lay stress on equal opportunity, uttering “no” directly, putting
emphasis on accomplishments over family background, titles, age, or gender (Canadian
Workplace Culture, n.d.).
To
conclude, like any other country, Canada has its own cultural and workplace
values. As she has retained her own traditional values through cultural
practices, she has also responded to the call of multicultural demands which
are necessary for maintaining peace and harmony in social and national life,
for smoothing creativity and productivity in business and workplace, and for
balancing personal and professional life. Workplace behaviour here is not the
same as it was years ago, and it will not be the same in future as well,
especially for speedy advancement of technology, globalization, and
immigration. Therefore, to keep pace with all her aspects, such as business,
globalization, immigration, national solidarity, domestic progress,
international relations, etc. Canada has adapted herself to the changing trends.
However, behaviour in Canada’s workplace is more flexible, tolerant, and
variable, but adaptable.
References
Canadian
workplace culture (n. d.). Retrieved from http://discovertourism.ca/en/come_work_in_canada/canadian_workplace_culture
The Canadian workplace: workplace culture and
behaviour (n.d.). Retrieved from http://students.usask.ca/current/life/employment/jobsearch/WorkinginCanada/canadian-workplace.php
Report: Social Media
Benefits and Risks
Social
media such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Linkedin, etc. is widely used in
today’s social and business world, especially because it is a low-cost but
powerful and speedy communication tool, which shares, creates, interacts,
exchanges information for people of kindred spirits with far greater reach than
traditional media, and thus builds a kind of social relationship among its
users. It has some benefits— be it in social life or in workplace. In terms of
social relationships, as it is used to augment normal relationship, to stay in
touch, so is it used in workplace to enhance customer interaction, greater
brand recognition and employee recruitment, increase company’s reputation,
expand networks of valuable contracts, and secure new business. However, it has
the risks as well both in social life and business life. Its abuse in social
interaction may worsen the relationships among friends, involve them in
conflicts, and as a result, may block them forever. Similarly but with
horrendous consequences, its (ab)use in workplace tends to leak data, propagate
malware, infringe privacy, waste valuable office time, behave unprofessionally,
post financial or confidential company information, and make negative comments
about the company, and the resultant termination
from the job place.
In Canada
like all other technologically developed countries, workplace has been
leveraging new and innovative ways to boost its economic growth and success.
And one of those innovative ways is social media like Facebook, Twitter, etc.
which is used to promote the company’s business and impart training and
development for its employees. It is feared that those who are not using social
media in today’s business will lag behind because it communicates updated
information swiftly, and as a preferred medium of communication it will take
the place of email in near future.
A study reveals that more than 35% Canadian executives in today’s
workplace think social media as a great opportunity for their business and make
a greater use of it. A total of 39% believes it to be a necessity, and 72% were
planning to invest more in social media in 2012. It is seen now as a unique
skill, not just a hobby. Around a third of Canadian executives feel that social
media experience is at least as significant as speaking a second language and
gathering international experience while employing new people. More than a half
executives feel that social media may be beneficial in increasing brand
awareness. Less than one fifth (17%) of executives
reports that gaining a deeper understanding of their customers was the main
benefit of using social media. Recruitment of top talent is cited as one of the
top five benefits (21% of respondents) of using social media for a company.
Only 5% think the main benefit of social media is the opportunity to monitor
how a company’s brand is being perceived (Canadian executives’
perceptions of social media in and out of workplace, n.d.).
As social media shows so much importance in workplace, what are the
benefits of using it? Of course, the first benefit is its low-cost and speedy
communication. Besides, it helps to find support when employees are in a
problem. It also empowers employees. Furthermore, it teaches collaboration and
provides international experience without traveling the world, and that is why,
it is a way of learning. It helps create a very positive image of the company,
the employees, and employers as well. Social media is also used as an
advertising platform where company products can be publicized. In addition, it
can also be used as a notice board where different announcements about the
company can be updated every now and then.
In my opinion, if social media has so many benefits in workplace, why not
use it for the economic growth and success of a company? But I think we have to
use it carefully with some codes of conduct laid down by the company.
However,
social media has some risks too. To know further, let’s study some cases
happened in Canada’s Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta. Two employees of
West Coast Mazda in Ontario were terminated for a series of “offensive,
insulting and disrespectful” Facebook postings. The company’s manager who was a
Facebook friend with them felt disturbed at their postings targeting
management, the business, and the products sold by the company. The same case
was also found in Alberta where an administrative employee in the Alberta
Public Service was dismissed after her employer could know the writings of her
personal blog which contained “unflattering comments about a number of her
co-workers and management”. In a different case of British Columbia, an
employee was discharged for the contents of his blog consisting of “violent
fantasies and racist comments” and terming the company as the blogger’s
employer. Though it was argued that the blog postings happened entirely off-duty,
the arbitrator countered that there was “a connection between the blogging and
the business interests of the company” (
Jennifer & Waggott, 2013).
To show further risks besides dissmisal from jobs, using social media in workplace can be
addicting and distracting, which will call for less productivity of the
company’s economic growth and business success. Its overuse may hamper normal
pattern of sleep which tends to impact the following day’s work. If someone
before employment posts something vulgar, offensive, insulting, racial, the
employer may google it and turn down him or her.
Of course, like anything else in our life, social media has
some risks as well. But I think we have to use it carefully. I also think that
if we do not use it because of its greater risks in our workplace, we will only
deprive ourselves of the blessings of sophisticated technology today. It is not
technology which is responsible for any harm or danger; rather, it is we who
are responsible for the way we use it.
To conclude, because using social media in workplace is a
cheap and fast way of communications, we have no other option left but to use
it constantly for reaping economic benefits of a company. But keeping its risks
in mind, we have to carefully leverage it in our workplace as the slightest
mistake can invite greater danger and harm than we can think when we use it. To
prevent this, a company should make some rules of using social media in
workplace. Only then we can utilize it for our maximum benefits.
References
Jennifer B., & Waggott,
G. (2013). Social media policies in the workplace: what works best? Retrieved
from CBA Practice Link: http://www.cba.org/CBA/PracticeLink/08-11-BC/sm.aspx
Canadian executives’
perceptions of social media in and out of workplace. (n.d.). Retrieved from
Qeen's School of Business: http://business.queensu.ca/executiveeducation/whitepapers/canadian_social_media_perceptions.pdf
Trends in Today's Workplace
Activity 1
Every age
has its own characteristics and trends which affect almost all the areas of
life and world—whether it is art, literature, trade, or commerce, or even our
quotidian life. Similarly, business is not out of it. While it once preferred
multi-level management and hierarchical design—in other words—vertical
structures, nowadays it has turned its focus on horizontal structures,
especially because of globalization, multiculturalism, and state-of-the-art
technology. In my view, horizontal structures are better than vertical ones for
some reasons. First of all, they flatten the organizations by minimizing the
distance among employees. Secondly, they help the companies compete more
effectively. Thirdly, they allow teamwork in an organization, which accelerate
its productivity. Fourthly, they make it easy to take decision through some
delegation in a large company. Last of all, they are more adaptable in a
rapidly changing environment of today’s business. To speak volume for my
arguments, some of the success stories like All4 and dealer.com stories can be
read.
Activity 2
Royal Bank
of Canada (RBC) is the largest bank of Canada, which has 80,000 full-time and
part-time employees and serves more than 15 million clients mostly in North
America, though the service is also available almost all over the world. It
functions through some business segments: Personal and Commercial Banking,
Wealth Management, Insurance, Investor and Treasury Services, and Capital
Markets. Over the last twenty years, RBC has been operating through electronic
delivery channels with a view to creating conveniences for its clients, so it
has automated its branch activities and provided wireline and wireless
telephone banking, and is also continuing refining online banking services. In
addition, it maintains the technological device for which every employee,
regardless of his or her location, has to abide by its code of conduct and fully
comprehend his or her role in such areas as the appropriate collection and use
of client information, the prevention of money laundering, vigilance against
terrorism financing, and the avoidance of bribery.
Alcoa
produces and manages primary aluminum and alumina; it has 61,000 employees in
31 countries and revenues of approximately US$ 25 million in 2011. It offers
one-stop service in design, engineering, and production; its products are used
across the globe in motor vehicles, containers, buildings, aircraft, and in
many industrial products and consumer commodities. Its main operating segments
are research and development, mining, refining, smelting, fabrication as well
as recycling. Alcoa started it journey in 1886 when Charles Martin Hall, a
chemist and mineral enthusiast invented a technology to produce aluminum. Technology
has made it possible that aluminum can be recycled. Recycling aluminum saves
95% of the energy for making new metal; furthermore, it lessens s the need for
solid waste landfill sites. The use of aluminum compounds has made things
easier, safer, more reliable, more cost effective, more durable, more resistant
to corrosion, especially to motor vehicles, food and beverage packaging,
architectural products, aerospace components, and pharmaceutical products.
It is
obvious from the overview of both companies that they have used technology
tremendously, and thus they have experienced its huge impacts in their services
and operations. RBC has been operating its business activities almost all over
the world. In so doing, it cannot go a long way without the help of technology.
For example, without technology it cannot sustain its productivity as well as
success, and it cannot maintain its contact and relation with other employees
working all over the world. Similarly, technology has also changed the
productivity of the other company, namely Alcoa—which is itself a technology,
because it produces and manages aluminum which is used in other products such
as motor vehicles, food and beverage packaging, architectural products,
aerospace components, making them easier, lighter, more cost-effective, and
more durable. To conclude, technology has contributed to the development,
success, and productivity of both companies to a great extent, though at their
inception they could not go a long way as technology that time was not so
sophisticated.
Reference
Canadian
business resource. Retrieved from http://www.cbr.ca/CompanyProfile.aspx
Activity 3
Nobody can teach you anything unless and until you tend to
learn something. Likewise, in voice with Miller, I would like to maintain that
“you can’t motivate someone who doesn’t want to be motivated.” What can you do then if you can’t motivate
someone when you need to? The answer is you can at best create the suitable
environment with all elements of motivating the person. And it will work slowly
through some situations when the person to be motivated undergo.
But what are the most likely factors that motivate a person
like me? I think, like Miller, they can be, in a word, intrinsic motivation. To
elaborate it, first, as an employee I need all the necessary tools and
technology, and expertise to execute the task assigned to me. Second, I expect
the employer will also judge or view things from my point of view. Third, I
must have choices to make. Fourth, I must be treated as a human being with all
my faults and virtues, not as a machine with perfection every time. Fifth, I
should have some opportunities for discovering my authenticity. Sixth, the
motivation should also aim to create job satisfaction. Seventh, my professional
life and personal life should be balanced. Finally, I must be evaluated and
promoted in accordance with my performance.
On the other hand, one of the least factors of motivating me
is competition, in which I am asked and forced to sell some products within a
period of time. The next factor is compensation which may activate me but does
not motivate me. Aside from this, the overwhelming factor is disciplinary
action. Of course, I must undergo any punishment if I do something wrong, but I
have to be warned first and given an opportunity to correct myself.
Activity 4
Change is the order of the day, but we have to fit in it in
such a way that brings about good to both employees and employers—whether it is
a unionized or nonunionized business organization. Once human beings mastered
many manual skills, such as weaving clothes by hand, setting fire by rubbing
stones, etc. However, such skills were replaced with technology, and the humans
who only learned new technology survived later. Therefore, that the author of
the article has stressed the non-unionizing trends of business today is not a
far cry. Here, I would like to echo Sylvie Lavoie who maintains, “We can’t
regret trying to make our lives better”.
It is true that a union workplace ensures increasing
security of the job and decent wages, but the companies must have work for the
way they can make profit. Therefore, a non-union workplace may have some
benefits if the employers abide by the state and company rules to pay the wages
and other benefits to their employees because it often happens that the
employees of a union workplace strike for a trivial issue making the company
incur a great loss. To conclude, I would like to pronounce Greek philosopher
Plato’s “Law is unnecessary if the king is virtuous; law is useless if the king
is not virtuous.” Similarly, union or non-union will not work if nobody
respects each other, and the employers themselves are corrupted and
exploitative.
Activity 5
I cannot
generalize that employees are more attracted and committed to socially
responsible companies. Actually, it depends on the individual’s mental
disposition, taste, upbringing, mind-set, as well as familial and social
values. But as general people we expect others to be so whether we ourselves
are committed to such companies or not. In fact, many employees are not
concerned with whether the companies are socially responsible or not; they are
concerned only with their decent wages and job security more than anything. If
they are paid decently, then only some of them may pay attention to this aspect
of the company, and that too depends on the factors I mentioned in the
beginning.
Personally,
I am attracted and committed to socially responsible companies only if my wages
are decent because I have to maintain living and other costs of my family and
myself. I am always attracted to socially responsible companies, but only
committed to them only if the family demands are met with the wages I receive
from them. The reason is that, besides being an individual, I am part of
society; I have some responsibilities to it. So if I can perform those
responsibilities through my employment, then I think it is excellent—just like
killing the two birds with the same stone.
Activity
6
Both
social innovation and sustainable innovation are similar and different as well
in at least three ways. To find their similarities, first, both of them resolve
social, cultural, and environmental challenges. Second, both work for public
good. Finally, they also share some common strategies, ethics, and
pragmatism. However, to speak of their three differences, first, social
innovation tends to change more and keep pace with the changes by applying new
strategies, concepts, and organizational charts than sustainable innovation.
Second, social innovation can occur in the for-profit, non-profit, or public
sectors whereas sustainable innovation happens in the for-profit sectors.
Finally, social innovation occurs best in diverse environments, especially in
peripheral structures while sustainable innovation takes place best in
homogeneous structures.
I agree
with CSI’s theory of change which functions in the spaces where different
people, projects, and organizations find their own, and for this, it starts at
the bottom concentrating on the physical space. I think it is a good
start because what we need first to do something is to create a space which
admits many people. Then it goes to the level of “community”. In my view,
it is also a good continuity because it targets a group of people who later
becomes a community. The last stage is innovation, which is also good, because
innovation only occurs when some people find a space and work together. To
conclude, I agree with all the consecutive stages of pyramid model, which is a
scientific and age-befitting theory in business world.
Activity 7
All the training
programs Pacific Adventure Website offer are more or less appealing to me. For
example, to engage and retain my talent in workplace, I like Employment
Engagement Training; to have shared goals and communicate with and support each
other, I like Team Building Training; to engage and evoke conversation and
self-discovery on my leadership attitudes as an individual, I like Leadership
Development Training. But the most appealing training of them to me is Change
Readiness Training because I need to understand the future changes before I
experience them so that I can be prepared, and they can bring about positive
and productive results; because I need to broaden my thinking horizon, evoke
conversation, and revitalize my sense of leadership; because I can be equipped
for the future and work accordingly at present for more personal, social, and
organizational benefits.
Based on the
results of taking the online “Abilities” skills quiz, I find the same Change
Readiness training program most beneficial because, as I maintained earlier, I
need to think diversely, grow abilities to predict the future trends, stimulate
conversation, and rejuvenate my spirit of leadership.
Activity 8
“Don’t judge a book by its cover” is an issue to be
considered the next. But first comes “First impression is the best impression.”
We usually judge people by our first impression; this is our psychology. So I
do not agree with the writer’s acceptance. I think the new employee should have
embraced the existing culture of the business and made more of an attempt to
“fit in” because we are accustomed to viewing employees like this as general
customers or clients. However, that does not mean that the new employees cannot
have individuality and self-expression of their own generation. Of course, they
should have, but this should be in an acceptable manner with the prevalent
culture of the business.
When I was a teacher at a college, I confronted such a
situation in which I kept my hair long. This situation did not fit in my then
work environment, so I had to have my hair trim in accordance with the
instructions of the college. I accepted this because I knew I had to fit in the
existing work environment. Or else, it might harm my career, or the institution
I worked with.
Activity 9
In the present age, there is no denying the position of the
author that mobile phones have blurred the lines between our personal and work
life. In fact, they are now essential parts of our life almost like other basic
demands of humans. But there goes a proverb “Excess of anything is very bad.”
Excessive use of mobile phones impacts badly our health, economic success, and
invaluable time; it also creates imbalance in work plan, paradoxically
alienates ourselves from friends and family, and makes us self-centred. Of
course, mobile phones have intruded in our private life alongside with our
professional life as the author exemplified in the article. Their boon has
turned into a bane in our life, and vice versa as well. I have also experienced
their boon and bane in my life, which dimmed the line of my personal and
professional life. Though I use my mobile phone less on talking, usually ten
minutes a day, I spend more time, usually on checking my emails, surfing facebook,
using blackboard, and browsing web, usually four hours a day.
To sum up the results of my challenge, I spend four hours
and a half on an average on my mobile phone. In so doing, my work and school
are considered equal, and the results back up the claims made the author in her
article. My mobile phone has intruded in my professional and personal life. I
have been dependent on it, but I fear if I am becoming a slave to it.
Activity 10
I agree with the views the author hold in the article. In
health issues, no religion, no race, no colour, or no age bar should be treated
in a double-standard. In fact, gone are those days when medical treatment was a
special privilege for the monarch and the like. Now we are living in a
democracy where people elect their own ruler who is instrumental in
distributing equal benefits to the people of all strata. And we know people
contribute to the overall development of a country, but unhealthy people
cannot. Therefore, if there are any root causes to flaws of treatment, they
must be traced, and steps should be taken to root them out in order to ensure
overall fair treatment.
Ethics in Computing Culture
Codes of
Conduct in Personal and Professional Life
In today's world, we have various
people of various professions with the advancement of technology. In fact, we
are bound to enter new professional world as a result of diversification of
life and world. But owing to globalization, new professions are going to all
over the globe. Therefore, to retain harmony of work, to deal with people
smoothly, to maintain the interest of the majority people-- if not all-- we
should have some codes of conduct which we are bound to follow for the greater
interest. This is why, I think, even in today's globalized world, the codes of
conduct are relevant. Obviously, I follow some personal codes of conduct. For
example, I never try to harm others deliberately, wish the good people all the
best, help my family, friends, or others as my level best, and follow a
positive attitude in life. But to speak of some other people I know, yes, there
are some who live by an unusual codes of conduct such as- not even deceiving,
or doing harm to, or avenging the person by whom he has been victimized. Just
like the personal principles, we must abide by some professional codes of
conduct because, we know, people come from different backgrounds, cultures,
religions, and mindset in today’s world. Therefore, to do the same work,
professional people should be united in one place-- workplace, that is, they
have to keep in mind that they are simply other people in workplace, and
forgetful of personal identity which better applies in personal life. There are
some professions that have mandatory codes of conduct such as- lawyers,
physicians, military personnel, etc. But every profession, I think, should
follow more or less some codes of conduct because without principles or codes,
professional people cannot organize things, accomplish the assigned tasks smoothly,
and bring a bad result in the end.
Now I am pointing to a surprising
aspect of Hippocratic Oath or
codes of conduct followed by
physicians or health care professional in the Old Age. One of the principles
maintains:
“ I will not give to a woman an abortive
remedy.”
This aspect of Hippocratic Oath is surprising and shocking as well because at that time women were to suffer a lot for an unwelcome pregnancy.
Bionic Legs
in Sport
"...bionic legs used in a
competition should be set to perform at the median level of performance
exhibited by able-bodied athletes in the previous year's competition." I
basically disagree with the statement, but slightly agree on some conditions.
To explain my disagreement, let's think for a moment why and between whom we
hold a sport competition. It is held usually between more or less equal
contestants; if it is not so, we cannot call it a competition. Even if we call
it a competition, it does not provide us satisfactory entertainment or
amusement; it spoils the spirit of sports of the viewers. Hence, if competition
aims at amusing us viewers, the introduction of bionic legs in sports
competition dampens the spirit and amusement, indeed.
However, keeping in mind the best
athletes who have, accidentally or incidentally, lost their normal legs, sports
authorities can allow them to set bionic legs with only the power that reflects
their previous year's performance, not more or less than that. Again, my
preceding argument can be presented here in an another way that the competition
between natural legs and unnatural legs is not natural at all, if there is no
humanitarian reason grounded on it.
Free Speech and Hate Speech
What we call "Free Speech"
is not free at all. It does not indicate absolute freedom. Even if someone is
thought to be free in some case, he or she has always some restrictions and
limitations as he or she has to live in a community, a society, a country, or
even in a world where other people of either the same culture or race, or
language live. It applies not only to a person but also to a race, nation or
country. What is free in absolute sense, may cause harm to others. This way, no
person can enjoy absolute freedom in his or her speech. He or she must draw a
line lest it should lead to a hate speech. Now the question arises where to
draw the line? The answer obviously depends on the situation a person gets
into. No law or rule can define, limit or restrict it narrowly. But it can be
defined in a broader way as we see in the constitutional laws of a country.
Therefore, Free Speech is Hate Speech when it harms to or provokes the people,
the community, the race, etc. Here it goes with the moral theory of
"Cultural Relativism", which "holds that no valid rational
criterion for determining the right thing to do exists." And actions are
judged on the accepted values or criteria of a society or culture.
As we have to live in a community, a
society, a country, or even in a multicultural world, we do not have any right
to unleash terror or trigger clashes between the two peoples, two countries or
two religions, and disturb the peace and harmony prevailing for ages with
themselves. Most of the people of the world are peace-loving, so they should
not be infuriated by one's unbridled free speech, even if they live with some
superstitions. But if you wish to break their superstitions, and bring out the
truth before them, you should do it in diplomatic or strategic language, not in
the free speech. Hence, Free Speech must be bridled on the context of the
situation arising in some cases. Here we can bear in mind the theory of
"Act Utilitiarinism", which views that "Each act is to be
evaluated morally according to the degree to which it increases or decreases
overall human happiness."
Or else, Free Speech can lead to
some fatal consequences. For example, it can disturb peace and harmony in a
community as mentioned earlier; it can also cause conflicts and war even; last
but not the least, it can result in sufferings of some people, or even killings
of some valuable lives.
However, freedom of expression can,
in no way, be suppressed in the name of banning Hate Speech. If so, we cannot
say what we feel about our life, governance; our ruler or boss will be more
autocratic; and one day we will lose our democracy, and return to the medieval
period when common people had no right to say anything against the ruler or the
monarch. We will again be enslaved in our thoughts and expressions. That will
be a great loss to us.
