> What happened to freedom of speech, freedom of opinion, freedom to choose. Most people are petty and simple-minded, only supporting liberal principles like i

> What happened to freedom of speech, freedom of opinion, freedom to choose. Most people are petty and simple-minded, only supporting liberal principles like individual rights and protection of diverse views from the cultural powers-that-be when 1) their side is the one that needs protecting or 2) they blindly absorb the prevailing wisdom, which happens to be liberal in some lucky eras (usually prosperous and optimistic ones). As much as both sides of the political spectrum like to fling "you started it" back and forth, the reason we're seeing the same decline in basic liberal values across the spectrum is that liberalism-as-civic-religion is in retrenchment for complicated structural reasons, and most people aren't remotely capable of understanding what a principle is, let alone holding one. As always, the ultimate victims of illiberal lurches in norms will be the marginalized.