JULY 21 — Many people agree with the authorities charging sex bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee because of their offensive Ramadan greeting of asking Muslims to break fast with pork.

Others cry double standards, saying that Perkasa’s Ibrahim Ali and Zulkifli Noordin should be similarly charged for threatening to burn Malay-language bibles and calling the River Ganges filthy.

But the right to free speech, as protected by our Federal Constitution, is not just for intellectuals debating the fallacies of religion; neither is it for activists who come up with well-reasoned arguments criticising the government.

Free speech is for every single Malaysian... and that includes idiots. That is both the beauty and flaw of free speech. Free speech means putting up with not just dissenting views, but stupid views that rile us up.

Free speech is not a nice little tea party where everyone expresses clever opinions and says, “Why, that’s an interesting point, but let’s agree to disagree.”

If we want the state to punish people who make the stupidest comments — whether it’s against Islam, Christianity, Hinduism or any other religion — we are closing the door to intellectual freedom.

If the government can punish such people, what is to stop them from prosecuting those who come up with well-reasoned, threatening ideas that actually have the power to influence people?

After all, if even idiots can be charged with committing a criminal offence for expressing an opinion, more powerful thinkers who can turn people away from the faith would surely be guilty of a far bigger crime.

Free speech means freedom from state prosecution; it does not mean freedom from social punishment, like ridicule and condemnation. There is nothing stopping you from calling someone a blind, ungrateful opposition supporter for criticising Barisan Nasional. Just as they have a right too to dub you a government tool for slamming Pakatan Rakyat.

The point about free speech is, no one should be slapped with a criminal charge for criticising the government, or any religion, or anything else for that matter.

But they can very well expect a tongue-lashing from other people. A boycott. A scathing response. In Alvivi’s case, people lodged reports to Facebook and their page was subsequently shut down. That’s an example of social punishment.

They could also have chastised Alvivi through letters to newspapers, or called for a boycott of their YouTube channel. Or heck, even demonstrate on the streets and carry placards, calling them insensitive little monsters.

Instead, people begged the state to intervene and punish them.

If you don’t respect the right of people to make stupid remarks, you don’t have the right to voice fancy opinions.

The day Alvivi were charged is the day that free speech died. Calling for Perkasa to be charged along with them only deepened the grave.

And one day, when they come for us too, we will rue the day that we did not let the idiots speak.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.