One of the biggest rifts between the current left and right political wings in the United States is their difference regarding free speech. The Left believe in restricted access to speech, while the Right believes in free speech for everyone.
These different beliefs manifest themselves every day in online debates between everyday people on either side of the political spectrum. More important discussions take place on college campuses, at tech company headquarters, and even in Congress.
These discussions are important, as is all debate. Free speech is an essential part of ensuring debate. The Left’s rejection of free speech is a problem for them and society as a whole. Here is why:
Limiting free speech creates resentment among independents
The modern Democratic party claims to be a party of tolerance and inclusiveness. This is an attractive proposition to many who claim to be politically neutral, especially those who hated the more polarizing aspects of recent politics.
However, the Left is not as tolerant as they often claim. Adherence to strict rules of political correctness has long been a tenet of leftist ideology. If you want to be a part of the Left, you must adhere to their rules regarding language and adopt all their beliefs.
For example, to partake in modern leftist discussions regarding transgender issues, you must believe that men can get pregnant, women can have penises, and that children should be taught about extreme sexual fetishes at a young age.
Of course, those things are crazy and not at all factual. In a society where free speech is valued, one would be able to say that those things are crazy and then explain why. This statement could be debated among the populace where the truth would then prevail.
However, the Democrats would classify any opposition to those beliefs as hate speech and have it banned. This is not a way to win arguments and pushes away any rational people who might be made uneasy by your radical positions.
The nature of U.S. politics means that there is only one side for those people to go to. They will go to the Republican party.
As long as the Democrats continue to require 100% adherence to their beliefs, they will continue to lose independent voters to the more rational Republican party.
Lack of free speech degrades institutions
Since their creation, universities have been places where people go to be exposed to new ideas. A big part of being introduced to new ideas is the ability to speak freely and then have your ideas challenged by your peers.
Democrats have continuously undermined this fundamental aspect of university life. Calls to ban right wing speakers and riots protesting controversial speakers are common on left wing campuses.
Prominent professors, like Jordan Peterson and Bret Weinstein, were forced out of their university teaching positions for daring to protest against woke university policies. Prior to this, Peterson and Weinstein had been leading professors in psychology and biology, respectively.
Peterson’s crime was to challenge his university’s policy of prioritizing “diversity, inclusivity, and equity” over everything else when it came to awarding grants and other research opportunities.
Weinstein was forced to resign after publicly being hesitant to participate in a day at Evergreen College in the State of Washington that would have seen every white person forbidden from coming to campus on that day.
Peterson and Weinstein are just two examples of the ongoing “brain drain” happening on college campuses all throughout the U.S. due to the Left’s strict rules regarding free speech. Universities are losing great professors, students are afraid to speak their mind, and everyone is worse off for it.
Big business cannot be the arbiters of free speech
As previously mentioned, discussions about free speech occur hundreds, if not thousands, of times every day online. These discussions occur on social media platforms, like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
These tech companies serve as moderators of the public square where these discussions take place. However, these companies also need to make money. This means the real moderators of these websites are their advertisers.
This has been made abundantly clear after Elon Musk’s $44 billion purchase of Twitter. Many expected a new era of Twitter where free speech and debate would run supreme, but Twitter’s advertisers have made that impossible.
Since Musk’s takeover, half of Twitter’s top advertisers have pulled their funding, and Apple has threatened to pull Twitter from their app store. Many prominent Democrats have cheered on these moves, further proving they do not care about free speech.
Democrats would rather a small conglomerate of corporations determine what is politically correct than allow free debate. This is not a sign of a healthy society and must be protested.
Hopefully, people like Elon Musk are successful and the Democrats radical position on free speech is kept from spreading to further parts of society.
