ALL ABOUT A DEMOCRACY: (to) SPEAK OUT

People no longer stand on a soap box to make public their thoughts on any issue or person. The world has changed and there are lots of other ways of doing this now, not only with newspapers and radio and television, but with the world wide web. The idea of making ones thoughts public for any, or for all, to hear, is here to stay. Take a look at this one headline:

Why ex-FBI lawyer targeted by Trump is speaking out

This two-word verb is intransitive, as you see in the headline above.

The following sentence from that news story shows how to express a more complete treatment:

Former FBI lawyer Lisa Page, whose anti-Trump text messages were released to Congress, became a target of President Trump's tweets. She spoke out to The Daily Beast about her decision to go public.

Also, unlike most of the other two-word verbs that we've been discussing, this one does not have a noun counterpart. It's used only as a verb.

Let's look at some other examples from the news that reflect issues of our times:

Most Americans say it’s OK for professional athletes to speak out publicly about politics

Of course the issue raised in the above article indicates that a person doesn't have to be vocally speaking in order to speak out, as the image below shows.

In reading the article, what are several recent events that sparked the public discussion about whether or not it's okay for professional athletes to speak out publicly about politics? You may have to follow the hyperlinks to be able to answer.  If you are familiar with any of those events, did you have an opinion about it at the time each occurred?

Were there times when you have spoken out publicly on an issue? Tell us what those were!


The last example we will provide may be familiar to some of you.

U of R Students Speak Out After Hong Kong, Taiwanese Flags Moved in Campus Hall

U of R Students Speak Out After Hong Kong, Taiwanese Flags Moved in Campus Hall

U of R Students Speak Out After Hong Kong, Taiwanese Flags Moved in Campus Hall

U of R Students Speak Out After Hong Kong, Taiwanese Flags Moved in Campus Hall

U of R Students Speak Out After Hong Kong, Taiwanese Flags Moved in Campus Hall

Betrayed by the Big Four: whistleblowers speak out

An FT investigation reveals a culture of fear at the world’s leading accounting firms

The news is full of incidences when people speak out about issues and events that affect them and others and overcome the fear that has previously caused them to be silent.