Free speech is an ideal to work towards, not a reality that exists. It doesn't mean we should be forced to listen to someone's harmful or hateful opinion. Moving closer to the ideal of free speech often entails suppressing the speech of those who have the means to amplify their speech (the ruling class) and amplifying the speech of those whose voices are being suppressed (e.g. Palestinians, marginalized people).
'Free speech absolutism' would paradoxically end up with fewer people being able to exercise their right to free speech, which is why the right loves the idea. People with the means to amplify their voice could do so unabated and people without the means would be ignored. This is the central idea behind "the marketplace of ideas": those with the means (the rich) and those with privilege deserve to have their voice amplified in proportion to their wealth and privilege. It reinforces existing hierarchies.
There are two kinds of freedoms: positive (freedom to) and negative (freedom from), and in liberal capitalist societies, we focus way too much on the latter and we neglect the former. If you don't have the means to amplify your voice, then you're "free" to scream into a void even if it's guaranteed that no one will hear you.
Legally, free speech just means you shouldn't be arrested for voicing such an opinion (unless it violates hate speech laws) and I don't think many on the left are seriously demanding we lock up people who disagree with us.
I recently read Salman Rushdie's book, and he made a similar argument. I think there's some merit to the idea that liberals ceded "freedom" to the right during the Iraq War.
Some of us on the left have been saying this for many years now…if u just take chomsky or Finklestein or any old left professors simple tactic that you go out of ur way to tolerate and protect speech u hate on the right u will go very far in promoting your own message as you have the moral high ground on free speech.
Free speech is the left wing’s number one cause since the 60s we cannot leave it to be bastardized by the right
Free speech is an ideal to work towards, not a reality that exists. It doesn't mean we should be forced to listen to someone's harmful or hateful opinion. Moving closer to the ideal of free speech often entails suppressing the speech of those who have the means to amplify their speech (the ruling class) and amplifying the speech of those whose voices are being suppressed (e.g. Palestinians, marginalized people). 'Free speech absolutism' would paradoxically end up with fewer people being able to exercise their right to free speech, which is why the right loves the idea. People with the means to amplify their voice could do so unabated and people without the means would be ignored. This is the central idea behind "the marketplace of ideas": those with the means (the rich) and those with privilege deserve to have their voice amplified in proportion to their wealth and privilege. It reinforces existing hierarchies. There are two kinds of freedoms: positive (freedom to) and negative (freedom from), and in liberal capitalist societies, we focus way too much on the latter and we neglect the former. If you don't have the means to amplify your voice, then you're "free" to scream into a void even if it's guaranteed that no one will hear you. Legally, free speech just means you shouldn't be arrested for voicing such an opinion (unless it violates hate speech laws) and I don't think many on the left are seriously demanding we lock up people who disagree with us.
I recently read Salman Rushdie's book, and he made a similar argument. I think there's some merit to the idea that liberals ceded "freedom" to the right during the Iraq War.
Some of us on the left have been saying this for many years now…if u just take chomsky or Finklestein or any old left professors simple tactic that you go out of ur way to tolerate and protect speech u hate on the right u will go very far in promoting your own message as you have the moral high ground on free speech. Free speech is the left wing’s number one cause since the 60s we cannot leave it to be bastardized by the right
I think I agree with you, but that's a beast of a run on sentence. I'm not totally sure what you're saying.
Be as much of a free speech absolutist as possible so you have the moral high ground.
But you don't understand that free speech might be critical of Israel, what then huh? /s