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Two theories of change: (1) An increasing number of Americans see free speech as a positive rather than negative right. In other words, “Facebook must host wha
by ellen364 4y ago
Two theories of change:
(1) An increasing number of Americans see free speech as a positive rather than negative right. In other words, “Facebook must host whatever I want to say”, not just “The government can’t arrest me for insulting the president.” That’s a controversial expansion of the right to free speech, creating a lot of debate and disagreement.
(2) The internet means Americans are more exposed to non-Americans. At least some of those people come from countries where free speech is seen as a right that should be balanced against other rights, like privacy. That makes it seem like fewer people support free speech than in the past.
- junofan 4y agoThat is not an expansion. Founders understood freedom of speech to be a “natural” right, not a “positive” or “negative” right.
- ellen364 4y agoMy understanding is the founding fathers believed in a combination of “natural” and “positive” rights. In that context, “positive” rights were things the government had to provide, like a jury trial. “Natural” rights were things you could do without a government, like speaking and writing, but that could still be limited by law. As an example, the 1798 Sedition Act restricted criticism of the government. That was just 7 years after the ratification of the First Amendment.