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"when progressive thinkers agree that offensive words should be censored, it helps authoritarian regimes to justify their own much harsher restrictions and into
by jchrisa 10y ago
"when progressive thinkers agree that offensive words should be censored, it helps authoritarian regimes to justify their own much harsher restrictions and intolerant religious groups their violence"
- HillaryBriss 10y agoA Poli Sci professor once told our class that the First Amendment is effective because it allows wrong/hateful/contemptible ideas to have a free airing. The rest of us can really take a look at such ideas and the people voicing them and see just how bad they are. Once we see them, we'll reject them. OTOH, if government or other actors suppress such speech, fewer people get a chance to see it, evaluate and reject it. Of course, that whole theory presupposes that the vast majority of people in society will evaluate such speech well. It places a lot of trust in the people and in the conversation and in the process.
- CM30 10y agoThe first admendment also stops people pushing wrong/hateful/contemptible ideas from using the 'martyr' defence to get people on their side. By allowing them, you avoid the situation where people promoting said views say 'see, they must have some level of truth otherwise the government wouldn't be trying to censor me'. Stops people with these types of views being seen as the underdog that's being oppressed for going against authority.