5 ms·

Free Speech by definition allows for criticism in return. Consider: if one wishes to justify "nasty behavior", as you call it, using the principle of Free Spee

Free Speech by definition allows for criticism in return. Consider: if one wishes to justify "nasty behavior", as you call it, using the principle of Free Speech and then tries to also demand that no criticism be returned -- then this individual is clearly non-serious about Free Speech concepts.

UncleMeat 5y ago
It does. Yet I've had friends harassed by "free speech advocates" for offering professional criticism of bigoted ideas. It becomes very clear that the people who have managed to plant a flag on "free speech" as a thing that needs defending are simply using it for other means.
- wilsocr88 5y ago
  That is truly unfortunate to read. Those people are not serious about free speech; they are deeply hostile to it. If they were serious about free speech, they would welcome the criticism. In my experience, it's not the criticism that free speech advocates complain about (plenty of weak phonies do, to be fair, because they are not secure in their principles or viewpoints). In my experience, free speech advocates complain mostly about the moves of private organizations against individuals' right to free speech. The bans from the social media "public square," (suddenly more important during Covid...) or when someone gets cut off of PayPal for dubious political reasons, these things do matter. They may not be strictly "unconstitutional," or even really illegal, but they are dangerous, and they are against the ideals of a free society.
plorkyeran 5y ago
People who advocate Free Speech on the internet seem to usually mean Speech Free From Criticism. The "anti-free speech" things they complain about is just other people excising their own free speech.
- wilsocr88 5y ago
  In my experience, the "anti-free speech" things they complain about are generally the actions taken by powerful private institutions (PayPal cutting people off, complete bans from the Social Media town square) that prevent individuals from having the right to exercise freedom of speech in practice.

UncleMeat 5y ago

It does. Yet I've had friends harassed by "free speech advocates" for offering professional criticism of bigoted ideas. It becomes very clear that the people who have managed to plant a flag on "free speech" as a thing that needs defending are simply using it for other means.

wilsocr88 5y ago
That is truly unfortunate to read. Those people are not serious about free speech; they are deeply hostile to it. If they were serious about free speech, they would welcome the criticism. In my experience, it's not the criticism that free speech advocates complain about (plenty of weak phonies do, to be fair, because they are not secure in their principles or viewpoints). In my experience, free speech advocates complain mostly about the moves of private organizations against individuals' right to free speech. The bans from the social media "public square," (suddenly more important during Covid...) or when someone gets cut off of PayPal for dubious political reasons, these things do matter. They may not be strictly "unconstitutional," or even really illegal, but they are dangerous, and they are against the ideals of a free society.

plorkyeran 5y ago

People who advocate Free Speech on the internet seem to usually mean Speech Free From Criticism. The "anti-free speech" things they complain about is just other people excising their own free speech.

wilsocr88 5y ago
In my experience, the "anti-free speech" things they complain about are generally the actions taken by powerful private institutions (PayPal cutting people off, complete bans from the Social Media town square) that prevent individuals from having the right to exercise freedom of speech in practice.