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What does "freedom of speech" mean to you, and how do you think it should be balanced with responsible discourse? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago by minnie to c/[email protected]

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Everyone seems to have a different opinion on what freedom of speech is. To be clear, the first amendment is:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

I am of the opinion that you can say nearly anything you want (given that it isn't a threat to other's safety) but that does not absolve you of the social consequences. The government can't arrest you for calling someone a slur or being a nazi, but another person can and will knock you the fuck out for it :)

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[–] minnie 1 points 1 year ago

I’d also say that being deplatformed by a private company or fired by your employer are part of the consequences you risk by being an asshole.

Big agree here. So many people complain about being de-platformed and claim it infringes upon their right to free speech, seemingly completely unaware that they are on a private platform that can manage their users and what they say as they see fit. It's really odd.