Don't be afraid to speak up against powerful people. Democracy and the economy depend on it

Be careful what you say.

I'll bet that most people who live in our province are familiar with the concept of that phrase.

Say you are one of the many people who work entry-level jobs in this province. This one you have probably heard: "Be careful what you say or you will make your supervisor angry and you will lose your job."

What if you are a skilled professional working for a reputable company? Odds are you have heard the first one and also this one: "Be careful what you say or [Powerful Person] who knows the owner of your business will take offence and they'll try to get you fired."

Maybe you're one of the many entrepreneurs in our province who are charting their own course.

How many of you have had someone tell you: "Be careful what you say or you will make [Powerful Person] angry and they will tell your clients to stop doing business with you."

Maybe you like to speak out on important social and political matters?

Well, now you get to be told: "Be careful what you say because [Party] or [Candidate] or [Elected Official] will be offended and they [are in government and will hurt you] or [may form the next government and will hurt you.]"

Fearful about tomorrow?

With Newfoundland and Labrador standing on the precipice of economic and cultural collapse I find myself wondering how we got here. Why are we struggling so hard to find real progress? I know hundreds of talented, passionate, motivated, and capable people who care deeply about this place and want it to thrive.

Yet nothing changes.

We are stuck in the same place as a people. Struggling to survive. Dead last in the country for employment and economic opportunity. Wondering when the next disaster will strike. Fearful about tomorrow. Completely disenfranchised from the political process. Apathetic. Defeated.

We need to cast off this system of fear and punishment which has diseased our province for too long.

With everyone being careful with what we say, there isn't much room for open discussions of new ideas or ways to improve things.

We are all minding our own gardens — careful not to anger anyone who might have the power to hurt us. This lesson is baked into our culture. Stay in line and play the game and you might be allowed to succeed a little bit — but not too much, because who do you think you are anyway?

I began to wonder: is it possible that this culture of fear and intimidation has had a direct impact on our economic and social progress as a people?

Surely some smarter people than I have wondered the same thing in other parts of the world and did some research?

Turns out I was right: they had.

In the Journal of the European Economic Association, a study published in 2010 analyzed the economic growth of various countries in Europe over the last 200 years and attempted to look at whether various cultural measures had an impact on the economy of that country.

This study concluded that a society with cultural traits such as trust, respect, and feeling in control of your life could be directly correlated to a better, more prosperous economy.

Societies focused on obedience and fear were more likely to suffer economically.

Respect others, and respect debate

When you think about it, this makes sense. If you have respect for others and confidence in yourself, you are not threatened by ideas and debate. If you are not threatened by ideas then you are more likely to find better solutions to shared problems. If you find better solutions to problems then everybody benefits.

• We like people who speak up! Read more Point of View columns
• Read more columns by contributor Terry Hussey

If you are focused on being obedient and "playing the game" then you won't offer that idea for making things better. But what if you were the first person to have that idea? Now that idea stops at the tip of your tongue, frozen by your fear of something bad being done to you by someone who didn't like it.

Imagine the impact this culture of fear has had on our province over the last 30 years. How many people with good ideas have held their tongue? How many have taken their ideas and desire for progress to places that are more open to innovation? How many businesses didn't make it because they offended the wrong people?

Who has benefited from this? It certainly isn't regular people. It isn't small business owners like me. I've experienced the sting of this phenomenon first-hand as a business owner. I've experienced it as an employee. I've seen it in my friends and family. I've watched their U-Hauls load up and leave the province to find work because there are never enough jobs here.

So if it isn't us who is benefiting from this then who the hell is? It doesn't take long to see that it's the people already in power who encourage this behaviour because it keeps them in power and keeps the rest of us from getting too far ahead. Guess what? Those powerful people are wrong just as often as the rest of us, except nobody can ever tell them because they are afraid of being punished for daring to point out the fact that these people are human.

Speak your mind. Please

Be careful what you say? No. I don't think I will.

I refuse.

I will speak my mind, openly and with respect. I will consider the impact of my words on others. I will listen to their ideas and positions and beliefs.

I will be fair and honest in my dealings with every person I interact with. I will ignore people who are cruel and toxic. I will not live my life in fear of the people who will try to hurt me because saying nothing means we are doomed.

The only hope for this place is for all people to engage in conversation and debate about the issues that we face because those issues affect us all. You can't have real conversations if you are constantly afraid of reprisals.

We need to cast off this system of fear and punishment which has diseased our province for too long.

Speak up. Tell us your ideas. If someone is wrong, talk to them. Ask them if they will listen to your opinion.

Offer a suggestion on how to make things better.

So long as we are trying to help each other, what is there to be angry about?

Let's see if we can't change "Be careful what you say" into this: "Speak your mind. Be respectful. Show compassion for others."

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