Freedom of Paint

I’ve been thinking a lot about freedom of speech since I heard that in Canada it is against the law to misgender someone. Also, since I heard about the guy that trained his pug to do a Nazi salute. I’ve come to the conclusion that intention is integral to freedom of speech. However, no one knows the true intention of the person expressing themselves, except the person who is expressing.

I remember when I was growing up someone would say something mean but then defend it by saying they were only kidding or that it was banter. I learned at uni, the best response to people that covered up their bad intention as a joke was to say F off, in a playful nature. You see I have dyspraxia so maybe this is why I don’t understand banter because I take everything including banter a bit too literally. Or maybe I wasn’t the correct audience for their humour. I’ve realised while writing this that if you post anything online then you have to expect other people’s opinion about your opinion. Otherwise, you are refraining them from their freedom of speech. This is why there was so much backlash when that comedian posted that dog video about gassing Jews. Due to his job title, I do not believe he is anti-Semitic. Even though he is being sued for promoting these views. I think that his stand up audience would have loved it but when you put it on the internet you have to be prepared for every Tom, Dick or Harry to have an opinion about it. However, he should not be going to prison for a joke.

Additionally, this is true about misgendering someone. Last year, Canada passed the law that if one were to use the wrong pronoun for a transgender person they would be, jailed, fined, and made to take anti-bias training. The training is understandable and actually helpful but the imprisonment or fining is a bit extreme. I met a transgender person for the first time at the age of 18. Therefore, it took me some time to learn about it. Compassion is the right way to go, not threating to imprison someone. This could, in fact, have the opposite effect of what is intended. Some could start avoiding trans people so that they don't go to prison for saying the wrong gender.

Nevertheless, we as audiences know our intentions when we write in the comments. Or maybe they just don’t think before they write. How the digital and physical world differs fascinates me. I think that’s a discussion for another day. For now, here are the words of the poem in the video above.

My tongue is a paintbrush.

My syntax is particles of paint.

My words are paint.

My sentences a painting.

My paragraphs a gallery.

My mouth is a paint tube,

there is no way of putting the paint back into that tube.

There is no way of putting the words back into my mouth.

Quite a few times I’ve squeezed the tube too much, without thinking and loads of words came out,

but I was young I hadn’t practiced painting.

You thought I intended to impale you with my paintbrush.

Imagine if I wanted to paint without deciding what I wanted to paint.

It would be a mess!

Like spilling water over the finished piece.

There should be no reason to send someone to prison or Coventry for it.

Spilled water can dry like accidents can be forgiven.

Led is like bad intentions;

poisonous!

Some people intend to put lead into the paint to create pain when they are angry.

Others try to find lead in the paint even when it’s not there.

A Comedians intention is always to make you laugh.

However, their art may not be to your taste but to someone else’s.

An artist should always be aware of their audience.

An artist could paint a picture and their intentions could be misinterpreted by the politically correct.

My intentions are always to entertain and inspire people to think, paint, write or make films.

If they paint a picture which differs to your own opinion you can either choose to stay and broaden your mind to another perspective or you can leave a bit more closed minded than you were when you came.

Or somehow you could believe that I’m defending the people with bad intentions.

Or you could really believe my mouth is a tube of paint.

In which case you’ve completely lost the plot.