Speak your mind

(pg. 20- Q. 3)
Discourse is the most powerful tool we have today, and have ever had. Everything in our society has stemmed from discourse and effective communication, or rather, the lack there of. The only thing that all human beings have in common is discourse, even those who are not able to speak are able to communicate their ideas.
Our society has been constructed as a hierarchy for as long as we have records of. These status markers also indicate power, which in then holds the authority of discourse. This power is also distributed through different cultures. In a high school classroom, if an African American student used the 'N' word, he would (at the most) get scolded. If a white student said the 'N' word they would receive punishment, like ISS (In-School Suspension), and it would more than likely result in verbal harassment from other students, including being called racist. In that situation, the power of discourse is distributed unfairly, but it is what our society deems appropriate.
After 9/11, any discourse that does not support our government is considered unpatriotic, an individuals can be terrorists for simply stating their opinions. That's why discourse is so important but so dangerous. We have the power within ourselves to say anything, but that's not the same power that society tells us that we have.