Freedom of speech doesn't mean we can say anything

Freedom of speech is very precious for anyone, because it allows a person to speak out of their mind or share their thoughts however they want. I am from a country where people almost lost freedom of speech, but fortunately, we were saved in the end and regained freedom of speech. So, there is no way to deny how important it is, but does it allow a person to say hate speech for others because it is supposed to be allowed when freedom of speech means having the ability to speak out of mind? For a better understanding, let me discuss this situation first.

ImgSrc

Suppose in a public place, one person intentionally tries to humiliate another person because of personal revenge or something else. The kind of person remains unpunished most of the time because there exists no proof of their verbal statements unless someone records the conversation. If there is proof (audio, video) then that person can be punished according to the law for trying to humiliate or bully another person through verbal statements. That's the reason it is said that we need to be careful when we say something or write something in social media because in social media every statement leaves traces which can be used as evidence. It's the same living for saying something in front of a CCTV camera or while someone is recording it. Now the question is whether those people go without being punished. I strongly believe that those people should be punished; otherwise, they will become arrogant, thinking that they can say hate speech to anyone.

Again, let's consider a different situation. Suppose in a public place a couple is getting intimate (like touching private parts of each other). As humans, they have the right to do whatever they want to do. And as it's their personal affair, no one has the right to interfere. The fact is that many people feel uncomfortable in this kind of situation, but most of the people choose to stay quiet because they feel embarrassed to say anything. Again, some people choose to make side comments and indirectly criticize those people. Even if it's something that I think should not be done by anyone, is it wrong to make side comments indirectly? What if someone dared to say those things directly to the couple? Even if those words hurt the couple, I don't think they deserve any punishment.

There is no rule that they cannot do that in a public place, but it also does not mean that they are allowed to do that in public places because it makes other people uncomfortable. Every rule doesn't necessarily need to be written or announced officially. There is something called manners, and if someone doesn’t know manners, then it's necessary to let them know what manners are and teach them a lesson, even if it's something we usually should not interfere with. The second situation I described was actually taken from real life. I'm not going to discuss what happened at the end because it's not something I am discussing today.

I'm trying to say that the situation, the reason we use freedom of speech to criticize others or humiliate others, actually matters. If we have a valid reason for it, and we are ready to bear the consequences, I think that it's okay. As long as I have a valid reason for it, I won't be punished for sure. But I deserve the punishment if I just use it for my personal revenge or personal satisfaction.