A soapbox is a raised platform on which one stands to make an
impromptu speech, often about a political subject. The term originates from the
days when speakers would elevate themselves by standing on a wooden crate
originally used for shipment of soap or other dry goods from a manufacturer to
a retail store. The term is also used metaphorically to describe a person
engaging in often flamboyant impromptu or unofficial public speaking, as in the
phrases "He's on his soapbox", or "Get off your soapbox."
Hyde Park, London is known for its Sunday soapbox orators, who have assembled
at Speakers' Corner since 1872 to discuss religion, politics and other topics.
A modern form of the soapbox is a blog: a website on which a user publishes
one's thoughts to whoever reads them.
