It’s interesting how ‘free speech’ has become such an iconic concept in recent years. When I was (very) young, way back in the sixties, the Lord Chancellor censored the theatre, and books (fiction) were banned in case they damaged our morals. In those days of course there were very limited ways to force your opinions on other people, if your views weren’t expressed by the main newspapers your only route was Speaker’s Corner or self financed pamphlets - not much change for centuries. However, we seemed to have very robust, relatively polite, and well informed debates and not many people felt oppressed. Especially when they tried to look over the Iron Curtain.
Freedom of thought is important, but we have so much ‘free speech’ now that the concept has become degraded in my opinion. I avoid all those platforms (well, perhaps not quite all…) where ill informed bollocks is routinely spouted by people who have plenty of opinions but no facts, coherent approach to debate, or interest in learning. If you had to pay to get a pamphlet printed before shouting down anyone who doesn’t agree with your view that the aztecs run the world via Masonic Lodges and George Soros, perhaps we’d have a more civilised discourse.
Rambling a bit, need coffee.
