We do have Freedom of Speech. That's called the First Amendment.
What we do not have is freedom from the consequences of our speech.
Russia does not have even a modicum of *that*.
We also have more privacy than Russia. In most states, what you do in the privacy of your bedroom is your business. You legally cannot be discrimanated against, based on race, religion or sexual orientation- though a few states are trying really hard to make that legal. In Russia, your sexual orientation *has* to be male-female, or it's illegal. Period. No ifs, ands or buts. You can be arrested and thrown in prison if you are LGBTQ+ there.
Here, you also get to criticize our government. Heck, you can even make threats against a former president, hang him in effigy, and though it is technically agaisnt the law, you are allowed to do it.
In Russia, if you even post something the government believes is dissenting, you could be charged as a criminal. That's what so many Russian, Ukrainian, etc, bloggers liked LJ. It wasn't *in* Russia, they could speak their minds, they could speak out against Putin. Now, they cannot, for fear of being made to 'disappear'.
So yes, you do have more rights here than you would in Russia. Be thankful for that.
no subject
What we do not have is freedom from the consequences of our speech.
Russia does not have even a modicum of *that*.
We also have more privacy than Russia. In most states, what you do in the privacy of your bedroom is your business. You legally cannot be discrimanated against, based on race, religion or sexual orientation- though a few states are trying really hard to make that legal. In Russia, your sexual orientation *has* to be male-female, or it's illegal. Period. No ifs, ands or buts. You can be arrested and thrown in prison if you are LGBTQ+ there.
Here, you also get to criticize our government. Heck, you can even make threats against a former president, hang him in effigy, and though it is technically agaisnt the law, you are allowed to do it.
In Russia, if you even post something the government believes is dissenting, you could be charged as a criminal. That's what so many Russian, Ukrainian, etc, bloggers liked LJ. It wasn't *in* Russia, they could speak their minds, they could speak out against Putin. Now, they cannot, for fear of being made to 'disappear'.
So yes, you do have more rights here than you would in Russia. Be thankful for that.