Like people who bring up pure free markets when discussing economics, an absolutist definition of free speech in a discussion about the real world is pointless.

Like people who bring up pure free markets when discussing economics, an absolutist definition of free speech in a discussion about the real world is pointless. All speech is regulated, therefore all definitions of free speech that can be discussed imply some degree of regulation. Do you want to have a discussion about free speech with some nuance or will every one of your comments be of the "murder kittens and eat babies" variety? The problem with absolutist statements and slippery slope arguments is that they just aren't interesting.