Does free speech mean that one is allowed to be racist and sexist?

[Anonymous]

What does free speech mean to you?

Yes

No

[Chazmatazz269]

No and yes.
Strictly speaking, the US Constitution was written to protect citizens who value their liberty from a tyrannical government. So private institutions and individuals can implement as many consequences as they like for any manner of behavior.
Unfortunately, some jurisdictions have interpreted the Constitution as social standards too. So how big of a jerk you can be varies from place to place. Mind you, it’s all pretty hypocritical though. Look at the current governor of Texas. One month he pushes an order to guarantee free speech on college and university campuses in Texas. The next month he sends the Gestapo to stomp out pro-Palestine protesters at UT. Ell oh ell! In order to justify his own hypocrisy, they’ve decided to frame all pro-Palestine viewpoints as “antisemitic”. So, no more free speech for you! Ell oh ell!

[Anonymous]

Free speech means you can say anything - as long as you're prepared to deal with the consequences. Which can be anything from your family disowning you, to a large group disemboweling you with a broom handle.

And a variety in between.

The only vice worse than free speech is compelled speech - making "preferred pronouns" a legal requirement, for example. Just because you're a deluded fuckwit doesn't mean I have to affirm those delusions. If the emperor is butt naked I'm not afraid to tell him.

[Asker]

Are you one of those guys that gets triggered by pronouns, you guys are hilarious

[Opinion Owner]

I don't give a fuck what your "preference" is. If you want to be a cat then by all means take a shit in a litter box, but don't expect me to "affirm" your delusion. That includes pronouns. You "believe" you're a pansexual alien from the planet Zog? That's fine - I don't.

I'm not "triggered" as you put it. If you believe it sincerely I could agree - but then we'd BOTH be wrong. I'll call out anything that's not healthy from the whole pro-anorexia bullshit to trying to claim there's more than two genders. It's all Godless bollocks.

Six thousand years after the Bible was first written down and four thousand - roughly - since Israel was told to utterly destroy the "Ba'als" but decided not to we're left dealing with the spiritual fallout. Including infanticide, greed, sexual immorality and behaviour that would make Sodom and Gomorrah blush. Try me. I'll call it all how I see it when measured against the known Word of God.

Free speech is protected - except for Christian absolutes, which are now deemed "hate speech" because they oppose the Spirit of the Age. Pastors arrested during a "Pride" event for daring to read the Bible aloud. Christian stores vandalised for putting the First Commandment on a poster in the window.

"Free Speech" is exclusive, not inclusive. It excludes the Truth.

[Amuere]

I was with you til you started talking about the imaginary slave master and his worthless dusty book. But hey, at least we agree about the pronouns! 😂

[Opinion Owner]

If you think God is a slave master you haven't read the "dusty book", probably just bits of it.

As to Him being imaginary, when you look at a book do you assume the ink just arranged itself onto paper that had also just formed by chance and bound itself in a sequence that makes logical sense to you, or do you assume it was printed and bound by a professional printer?

The laws of physics are so precise that if gravity were 1% stronger or weaker then the universe couldn't exist. It Earth was just a light second closer to the sun the oceans would evaporate and the atmosphere would be sucked off by the sun's gravity. Similarly, if it was a light second further away all the water would freeze and life couldn't exist.

Physics - specifically Einstein and Hawking - has proved there had to be an instant at which the universe began with an explosion. But any explosion creates chaos, not order.

I believe "in the beginning, God."
Atheism believes "in the beginning, nothing". Ultimately, I wish my Faith was as strong as an atheist's is!

But as you said, we can agree about the pronouns! 😉😂

[Ez-Bri-Z_v2]

Sure, but freedom of speech doesn't come without consequences for the words you use, especially if being racist or sexist.

Freedom of speech just protects you from the government coming down on you, but in social cases, you're still liable to suffer in some way.

[Anonymous]

Free speech doesn't mean you're allowed to commit crimes with speech, just like the right to bear arms doesn't mean you're allowed to commit crimes with guns.

You can say what you want in private, but if you publicly lie to damage an individual or groups reputation, or if you incite others to harrass or commit violence against them, or threaten violence or harrass them yourself... it doesn't matter if you do this with words or with actions. It is still against the law.

Also, there are some places where you can't carry a gun (such as a private business where the owner says you can't, or in an MRI room). Likewise there are some places you have to exclude certain words, phrases, and sentiments from your speech (such as a private business where the owner says you can't, or someone's home). This is not violating your freedom.

[strateguy632]

if i can only say what "others decide to let me" then it isn't free speech!

that is a major problem with woke rules n facebook censor etc.

if you can't write the n word you live in a tyrrany totalitarianism.

[Asker]

What does woke mean to you because every conservative has their own meaning of the word

[Asker]

Also, do you want to use the n word? Because I don't see the point of that, it's become very irrelevant now to use that word.

[strateguy632]

1, if people get censored for saying the n word then that is the cause that someone NEEDS to say it! like in a star trek "uhura is a pretty n."
2, people talk about consequences... they missed the point! before a prisoner got killed in england they got "free speech" to say "i am innocent the king is a liar" then they killed him! that is not free speech.
3, similarly i can say putin or biden is bad policy that must be protected no consequence. it is not free speech if we can "say it but get punished to deter me saying it."
4, if i say something racist and someone responds with violence the violent action must be treated as a crime to deter people from hitting even racists.
FREE means PROTECTED. no consequences... unless i am a news company claiming to tell the news but did not verify the story.

[DarkLegacy]

It depends on where you live. Here in the UK there are hate crime laws covering ablest, racist, homophobic and transphobic abuse, some have stirring up hatred laws but there is also Public Order Act covering hate speech in public and Communications Act covering hate speech online.

No such law bans sexist speech

[Anonymous]

Its not free speech unless you allow disagreeable speech.

Whatever "exceptions" you would define are invariably be applied liberally as passable, in the case of subjective exceptions such as "racism" or "Sexism" there are no real limits.

This fact should be oblivious given they are consistently broadly they are applied.

[TommyMountainFigure]

Free speech and hate speech are different things.

Free speech means, I can say anything providing it doesn't fall into the realm of hate speech!

[monorprise]

@TommyMountainFigure Anything and everything can be viewed as falling into the realm of hate speech particularly by people who hate you.

So your distinction is as pointless as it is subjective.

[TommyMountainFigure]

@monorprise Here in the UK, 'hate speech' is extremely definitive! I can't speak for anywhere else

[TommyMountainFigure]

"abusive or threatening speech or writing that expresses prejudice on the basis of ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or similar grounds."

[monorprise]

@TommyMountainFigure What is "abusive or threatening"? That qualification alone could be anything. The list of forbidden subjects are similarly vague in that we have infinite number of ethnicity, religions and now even "sexual orientations" never mind the catch all of "Similar grounds".

So no this isn't even remotely defined, which i guess is why I soo frequently hear about Brittan subjects being harassed and repressed by British government often in a targeted way. Which is why its hard to regard your people as in any real way free. In many respects your worse than Canada.

[TommyMountainFigure]

@monorprise No I agree.. This country is F**ked up beyond all recognition! I was merely answering the question posed.

[bolverk]

Free Speech is an absolute if someone tries to hedge it in with qualifiers then it is no longer Free Speech, but oddly enough the ones try to add the qualifiers are always those who constantly go one about democracy,

[TheSpectre]

Are you stupid and insane?
Get the flunk outta here before i take action with admins and moderators!

[Astarlessnightsky]

It doesn't protect from getting told to shut up. If one would say something like that.

[DrPepper12]

It's the most repugnant, vulgar offensive speech that's MOST in need of protection. Absolutely entities you to be a disgusting person.

[exitseven]

Yes, it is your opinion and you are entitled to it.

[Guanfei]

Yes. Words are words. That's all they are. Let stupid people voice their stupidity, that's the best way to shut them up.

[OtterMan68]

Yes, the government cannot lock them up for it.

[Anonymous]

Yes and no. Free speech is free speech. Hate speech is hate speech. But there's a dividing line. And sometimes that line is contested.

[shortster]

Yes, free speech is for the speech you don't like; not the speech you do.

[jahaims]

I'm an absolutist when it comes to free speech.

[Agape93]

Yeap

[gorydetails]

of course it does.

[RedInnocent69]

Sadly.