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This right here is yet another example of why freedom of speech is so important and why I am appalled by the tendency of the fediverse to demonize it.
https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/02/25/third-of-poland-lgbt-free-zone-atlas-of-hate-homophobia/
Uspol
@freemo I don't want to demonize the concept of freedom of speech in general. It's a good tool. It can be useful.
However, in the current context of American culture, freedom of speech is one of those ideas that nationalists and fascists have latched onto in a bid to further their own violent ends.
Freedom of speech is the cudgel with which they strike at people such as me, confident that liberals will blindly side with them because, after all, freedom of speech is integral to America, right?
Fascists use the freedom of speech that they are afforded to advocate for violence (in the abstract, and with dog whistles) which would ultimately result in those rights being removed from those they perceive as enemies.
(Cont)
Uspol
@Anarkat I cant say agree with that on several points.
For one, liberals or anyone else, do not tend to side with people over the claim of "freedom of speech". I have almost never seen someone to use freedom of speech to mean "all speech is deserving of respect". In fact much the opposite, I find liberals and other groups to respond to hateful expressions of speech with negativity. Most beleive the speech should be protected by law but not respected, and there is a difference there.
As for people using freedom of speech against you, thats a weak argument to me. In a moral society a hateful expression of speech will usually cost you your reputation fairly severly. so if you find that people are benefiting from hateful expressions of speech it isnt the freedom of speech that is to blame, it is the lack of morality of those that accept the speech that is to blame.
