If I were a huge nerd, I would begin this post with a quote from Spiderman (”with great power comes great responsibility”). But I’m not going to do that. (Whoops! I guess I already did.) Anyway, nerd or not, the sentiment is still true.

Having the freedom (or power) to make your own decisions and plan your own life is of utmost importance. But this freedom doesn’t come without responsibility—you can’t use your freedom to harm others or infringe on others’ rights, and so on. Unfortunately, however, the whole responsibility part often gets drowned out by loud cries for freedom.

This seems to be especially true in cases of free speech. Take JuicyCampus.com, for example.

Their mission is simple: “enabling online anonymous free speech on college campuses.” Their content is is simple-minded.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m all for free speech. I looove the First Amendment. But Juicy Campus’s idea of preserving this fundamental freedom includes scintillating posts like, “Where are the sluts?,” “Who is the hottest soccer player?,” and lists of the “best bars to pick up drunk chicks.”

Really? Providing a forum where college students can “anonymously” post advice on where best to find inebriated girls is protecting free speech on college campuses? I think not.

Columnist Deb Saunders calls Juicy Campus’s take on free speech “a modern view…all of the privilege and none of the responsibility.” She goes on: “…this site encourages its anonymous participants to rate their professors, sorority girls, football players and other students by name. Don’t like your grade? Your advances were rejected? Juicycampus.com is the perfect venue for payback.”

Somehow, I don’t think this was what the First Amendment was intended for. (Read Saunders’s full column on Juicy Campus here.)

Tiptoeing the line between free speech and slander might sometimes be something like navigating a minefield—and to avoid disaster, we ought to remember the responsibilities that come with our treasured freedom.

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