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In this (US) society, you can speak your mind just about all you want without worrying about the government sending jack-booted thugs to haul you away. However
by Grishnakh 10y ago
In this (US) society, you can speak your mind just about all you want without worrying about the government sending jack-booted thugs to haul you away.
However, this does not mean that a private company is obligated to give you a free platform to disseminate your speech. You can go make yourself a sign and stand on a street corner if you want, but no one has an obligation to listen to you, or to help you spread your speech.
This is why the distinction about government censorship is so important. People like you seem to think that private entities have an obligation to host other peoples' speech. If some neo-Nazis knocked on your door and asked to post a bunch of their signs on your lawn, would you agree to it? It's only a problem when the government censors because there's only one government, and they have enforcers who can use deadly force. If a private party censors you by refusing to help air your views, you can go somewhere else, like a street corner, and you don't have to worry about going to jail or being shot.
- Aaron1011 10y ago> It's only a problem when the government censors because there's only one government, and they have enforcers who can use deadly force. I would add that it's also because the government can censor people when it otherwise wouldn't be involved - a person hosting a blog with a third party, for example. Ordinarily, only that third party gets to decide whether or not to provide a platform for your data.