3 ms·
Free speech absolutists like the author (and myself) don't believe that speech should be without consequence in the marketplace...only without consequence from
by bkohlmann 9y ago
Free speech absolutists like the author (and myself) don't believe that speech should be without consequence in the marketplace...only without consequence from the government. We will always make value judgments about what people say. And that's great.
What I'm particularly concerned about in the social arena is speech being disproportionately punished. If I say something that is against the consensus, by all means push back. You can even choose to not associate with me - or attend an event I'm speaking at on campus. But to prevent that speech from occurring at all via punishments like banishment or expulsion goes too far.
Let us remember that in the 1960s, speech promoting civil rights was incredibly non-consensus and "dangerous". So too was speech in favor of gay marriage during the 1980s. "Dangerous Ideas" can sometimes lead to much needed societal change. To discover the good outcomes you also near to hear the ones that really are terrible.
- azhu 9y agoHow is an association choosing not to associate with you any different from banishment or expulsion? Let us remember that in the 1960s, speech promoting civil rights was incredibly non-consensus and "dangerous" and resulted in banishment and expulsion for countless proponents. So too was speech in favor of gay marriage during the 1980s. I am not in favor of legislation limiting speech, I am just pointing out that the distinction you draw between what goes too far and what does not is founded in your own opinionated perceptions and not in reality.