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That's got to be the most depressing statistic I've seen all day. It's terrifying how we've fought for years for freedom of speech and rights, then this genera

by CM30 11y ago

That's got to be the most depressing statistic I've seen all day. It's terrifying how we've fought for years for freedom of speech and rights, then this generation seemingly want to chuck it all away for political correctness.

axiak 11y ago
It's hard to tell in this study if it's a generational behavior or if it's just something people learn as they age. This is certainly an interesting question to ask periodically so we could do such an analysis.
dalke 11y ago
Change the question and time. Ask people if the government should be able to ban the desecration of the US flag. According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_Desecration_Amendment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_Desecration_Amendment , about 1/2 of Americans would agree, even after the Supreme Court said it was protected free speech. Ask if the government should be able to ban blasphemy or speech which insults a religion. (For more fun, name specific religions and see the differences in responses.) Ask if the government should be able to punish people falsely claim they were awarded a military medal. Or to go back 100 years, to prevent people from protesting the draft. To be even more contentious, ask if businesses have a right to free speech, and if the government can regulate 'purely commercial advertising' or their views on Citizens United. I think you'll find that this isn't some sort of special political correctness issue, but a long history of people thinking "The Government Should Do Something" about things they think are wrong, including for many things which are far from PC. That doesn't mean it's a good history, only that I think you're highlighting the wrong thing.
baconner 11y ago
Still though you could write it another way - 60% of millenials support the rights of free speech even when it is offensive to minorities. It's not so dire. That's a solid majority.
- nickpsecurity 11y ago
  That's how I look at it. Those of us who cherish freedom are winning. :) In a survey but not the country as a whole... (sighs)

by CM30 11y ago

axiak 11y ago

It's hard to tell in this study if it's a generational behavior or if it's just something people learn as they age. This is certainly an interesting question to ask periodically so we could do such an analysis.

dalke 11y ago

Change the question and time. Ask people if the government should be able to ban the desecration of the US flag. According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_Desecration_Amendment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_Desecration_Amendment , about 1/2 of Americans would agree, even after the Supreme Court said it was protected free speech. Ask if the government should be able to ban blasphemy or speech which insults a religion. (For more fun, name specific religions and see the differences in responses.) Ask if the government should be able to punish people falsely claim they were awarded a military medal. Or to go back 100 years, to prevent people from protesting the draft. To be even more contentious, ask if businesses have a right to free speech, and if the government can regulate 'purely commercial advertising' or their views on Citizens United. I think you'll find that this isn't some sort of special political correctness issue, but a long history of people thinking "The Government Should Do Something" about things they think are wrong, including for many things which are far from PC. That doesn't mean it's a good history, only that I think you're highlighting the wrong thing.

baconner 11y ago

Still though you could write it another way - 60% of millenials support the rights of free speech even when it is offensive to minorities. It's not so dire. That's a solid majority.

nickpsecurity 11y ago
That's how I look at it. Those of us who cherish freedom are winning. :) In a survey but not the country as a whole... (sighs)