Back when I did my A-Levels I used to learn how the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) had articles for each right. Two conflicting ones were
Article 8 -the right to privacy, and
Article 10 - the freedom of expression.
We always used to get cases on conflicts between Articles 8 and 10 of the ECHR. It's true that I'm yet to go in detail into this branch of the law (that is, once I get into university), but I've been thinking...
...where is the line between privacy and the freedom of expression, and how thick or thin is it ?
Too often, when I study past cases, I don't sympathise with the defendants, who are mainly the paparazzi, or people who gatecrash into private social functions taking pictures and publicly diffusing them. Not to say that I'm paparazzi-phobic, it's just that they've gone beyond what they should know. Yes, truly, it's exciting to know everything about your favourite artiste, but then again, (s)he is human too and (s)he has a life to live.
In an era where this rule is often broken, I just admire how my top on the favourites list, Mylène Farmer, still remains enigmatic even after 20+ years of great songs and great takes on society. Maybe she's made it clear enough : no probing into my personal life. But we wonder how many more have slugged it out in court just for a mere dispute between Articles 8 and 10. And the unnecessary money spent ? C'mon, even a kid knows how not to go beyond the boundary.
Lest we forget that decrees on human rights were created with humanity in mind... Humanity as a whole. This means that while every person has his own individual rights, he cannot forget about the people around him. Yes, he has the right to live his life the way he wants it, but he cannot deprive others of that same privilege. If he wants to go incognito, then he's definitely going to be highly intolerant towards people who probe beyond what they should know him, and he will not hesitate to file a lawsuit against these people if necessary - that is, if push comes to shove.
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