I don't understand the desire for free speech. Free speech is a horrible thing. It allows people to slander, intimidate, spread racist misinformation and scam. Who would support such a thing?
#freespeech
@b2run Someone who can imagine a day when the definitions of slander, intimidate, misinformation and scam will be made by people whose political agenda is not aligned with their own. What happens when BLM or Anitfa are declared "hate groups," posts encouraging vaccinations are labeled "misinformation," and mask are a "scam?"
This is not a hypothetical. you can find very influential people who espouse all of these right now. Donald Trump actually was the president. Do not live in the fantasy that the government will always be on your side, that illusion is far more dangerous than free speech.
@antares I'm not from the states so don't really know these organizations but I still don't understand free speech. You seem to be agreeing that people should not be allowed to say what they want without consequence. Does free speech mean something other than being able to say anything without gov't regulation?
@b2run sorry I missed that you were not from the US. Context:
BLM: Black Lives Matter a loose confederation of groups that protest the killings of innocent black people by the police and in so-called self defense. The Right often blames them for inciting violent riots.
Antifa: short for Anti-fascist. Not an actual organization but a banner for people who hold counter protest of right wing groups. Their slogan, "by any means necessary." Is code for a willingness to uses violence to silence what they see as dangerous hate speech.
I'm assuming vaccines and masks are widespread enough, but here the political right has decided that they are a means of expanding the reach of the federal government.
In the US free speech has the double meaning of a legal prohibition on government to regulate expression, but also a cultural norm (currently being debated esp. On Mastodon) that censorship at any significant scale leads to oppression and is morally unacceptable.
@antares Thank you. This is helpful.