(Originally posted on March 9, 2021 at Townhall.com)
Last week Team Biden withdrew the nomination of Neera Tanden as Director of the Office of Management and Budget. The media reported that she would be appointed to another position in the Administration, just not one requiring Senate approval. This is a political story but it is a lesson for many of us in our financial and other life endeavors. Tanden had offended enough Senators through her Twitter account that she failed to gain majority support.
While the right of free speech seems simple, it’s actually quite complex. A guarantee that the civil government will not punish you for anything you say may be significant, but it also may induce a false sense of security. If everyone in society is free to respond to your words, then unpopular speech could have serious consequences without government reprisals of any kind or without any violence at all. Letting one’s faith in government passivity induce euphoric utterances without care or caution would mean ignoring other consequences.
In my book on Proverbs, Solomon Says, I compare the First Amendment to the Second. Gun owners know that they can’t point a loaded weapon wherever they want. They know they can’t be careless with how they handle their firearms. People who advocate complete freedom to bear arms are careful to always practice safety rituals to avoid damaging or even fatal accidents. In openly armed societies of the past, people tended to prioritize politeness and manners. Freedom in society can and should (if it is going to last) produce and encourage it’s own discipline.
In Proverbs, the reader is not only warned against wrong speech; he is warned against speaking at all:
“Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. Whoever isolates himself [because he is too busy talking to listen] seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion” (Proverbs 17:27–18:2 ESV).
Many other passages say similar things. A few examples:
- “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent” (Proverbs 10:19 ESV).
- “Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding remains silent” (Proverbs 11:12 ESV).
- “A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims folly” (Proverbs 12:23 ESV).
- “Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him” (Proverbs 29:20 ESV).
Note that these are not objective rules like a list of forbidden swear words or the Ninth Commandment’s prohibition of giving false testimony. They are encouragements to be careful and warnings about growing into a certain kind of person. The New Testament book of James summarizes this aspect of the teaching of Proverbs: “let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1”9 ESV). How fast is quick and how drawn-out is slow is a relative judgment.
I am not writing this to argue that Neera Tanden’s tweets were foolish. If you agree with her politics, there may be no way to convince you that they were wrong. And Tanden may only have been considered by the Biden Administration for the position because of the tweets. They got her noticed.
But they also are costing her. President Trump arguably faced the same ambivalent situation where his speech both attracted and alienated.
If you want to work with others or for others you should take note of these incidents. Speaking off the cuff in public forums carries a risk. Getting in the habit of doing so from a young age seems like a easy way to lose the power of choosing how to introduce yourself to someone on the terms of your own choosing. Some promising employers and potential spouses may be out of your reach because you made a lasting impression from something you wrote in anger several years ago.
So say and write what you want, but be aware that there will be consequences. And, if that awareness constrains what you communicate, that may not mean you’re a coward. It may mean you being smart for once.