My other comment is the most important thing I have to say to this, but in regard to your other points: > There are lots of good things about the United States

My other comment is the most important thing I have to say to this, but in regard to your other points: > There are lots of good things about the United States, there are lots of bad things too...in spite of free speech the United States still has a long way to go when it comes to...The United States is not at the pinnacle of civilization yet... I never said that improvement was impossible or the USA was number one in every category of freedom. My point was that we Americans tend to assume the UK is like us, due to our common language, shared history, superpower status, democratic government, etc. -- so it's a bit of a shock to realize that things which would be perfectly legal free speech here are illegal in the UK. > [Free speech] also does not translate into being able to say whatever you want. I never said it did. In the US, it's illegal to say things that will cause a panic or incite violence. Obscenity is a special category with a long history of regulation, which has been rolled back considerably in the last fifty years or so. Individuals have some degree of privacy with regard to publication of photos or details of their lives, which is less for politicians or other public figures. Lies which harm someone's reputation can result in a successful lawsuit. Commercial advertising has to be truthful. Free speech protections only apply to government actions; private individuals or organizations can set their own rules for spaces they own. (Just read an HN post about Apple's prudishness with respect to app content a little while ago [1].) Just being able to legally say something doesn't mean you should; saying controversial things may make people and businesses shy away from associating with you. It may be hard to find friends or employment if you make a habit of expressing highly unpopular or distasteful opinions. Personally, I feel free to cut loose with this ID. I say what I want -- usually what I actually believe, but sometimes I play devil's advocate or seek out controversy. I think HN can be just a hair on the insular side sometimes, getting itself into one big groupthink because most of us are rather similar in a lot of ways; I try to push others out of their comfort zone when I think it'll be good for them, and for HN and society as a whole. I suppose you can think of me as a friendly troll. But I'm well aware of the risks of free speech. Other than IP address, there's absolutely nothing about this ID which correlates with my real identity or my identity in other places online. I don't express myself strongly on controversial topics like politics or religion in real life, unless I'm with friends who I know well and who are intellectually strong enough to agree to disagree -- something even very bright people sometimes are not. [1] http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4825235 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4825235