RE: ‘X’14 Nov 2024 19:51
Hey Trek,
Enjoyed both of your posts.
It's an interesting subject.
I dont disagree with anything you say, it's an absolute mire, we are perhaps talking at cross purposes somewhat.
Free speech has become very unpopular in recent months, but not necessarily for the reasons you outline imo.
The issue of sharing acts of outright criminality, violence, abuse and so on should clearly be prevented where possible. This is criminal behaviour, should not be promoted, and has nothing to do with free speech whatsoever. My concern is that such abuse might become hidden once again, allowing society to ignore it, but as i say, this i not a free speech issue.
The part i take particular issue with is the concerted effort from some on the Left to brand free speech as a tool of the Right, by people who effectively want to silence political opposition for short-term gain, and create a universal echo chamber in line with their own ideologies.
The merit, moral or otherwise, of their intentions in this regard are completely irrelevant imo. They are unwittingly attacking the very foundation of democracy, and if successful, are likely to expose us all to the dangers of authoritarian control in the future.
Laws and powers, made and granted in haste today, cannot simply be withdrawn when we, the people, elect a leader with more authoritarian tendencies. Even the present suite of laws could be used to devastating effect by the "wrong" leadership. Free speech is our only defence against such a scenario - short of violence or civil disorder.
This may sound somewhat fanciful or apocalyptic, but take a look at Project 2025, and imagine a Gov seeking to silence decent, under the guise of maintaining social order, preventing protest or civil unrest - for the good of the people.
One very quickly finds oneself living in a situation best described as a tyranny, and all within the present legal framework.
The Arab spring is a good example of how being "connected" enables people to remove dictatorships. Social media singularly facilitated this.
So i am very wary of various political acolytes who think they are "winning" by shutting down their opponents. These are usually just "fanboys" of a political party who are intolerant of those with whom they disagree, and like most flawed and selfish humans, are chiefly interested in inflicting inconvenience or worse on their opponents.
Cheering with glee as Farage gets cement thrown at him, or bemoaning the fact Trump didnt get his head blown off in front of thousands of spectators, and millions of viewers, tells me that the Left are in no position to pontificate or judge. In my experience, they are often the least moral people on the circuit, adept only at hiding their prejudices and spite behind a cloak of virtue.
Consequently, im some way to being a free speech absolutist, or at least i expect i am, having not previously given the issue much thought.
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