'The Constitution is not a suicide pact'
reason.com
'The Constitution is not a suicide pact'
David Abbott
David’s Determinist Substack
1d
The “speech is violence” frame is a loaded gun pointed at everyone. If hateful speech is itself a form of violence, then Charlie Kirk — who spent years saying things like “the Civil Rights Act was a huge mistake” and warning that Muslims were “conquering Europe” — was, by that definition, committing... See more
David’s Determinist Substack
1d
The “speech is violence” frame is a loaded gun pointed at everyone. If hateful speech is itself a form of violence, then Charlie Kirk — who spent years saying things like “the Civil Rights Act was a huge mistake” and warning that Muslims were “conquering Europe” — was, by that definition, committing... See more
MAGA’s scary clampdown on free speech
This explains why so much outrage in the public square is now directed at what one might call speech crimes. Even the neologism hate speech speaks to this. While earlier generations might have seen damage to body or property as the most serious categories of crime, a highly psychologized era will accord increasing importance to words as means of
... See moreCarl R. Trueman • The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self
There is, to put it baldly, no right not to be offended. To be sure, that doesn’t mean that deliberately offending people for its own sake is morally acceptable, or that people should be entitled to use speech to incite violence, harass, or threaten. Rather, it means that the impulse to punish people who offend is a regressive urge, one that... See more
Stephen Johnson • Speech Is Violence? Not if We Want a Liberal, Intellectual Society
- "… the history of thought about free speech does contain ideas that can be of use. Among them are the concepts of “audience interests” and the “right to hear,” which have been repeatedly recognized by the Supreme Court. These concepts see the First Amendment from a listener’s point of view. In addition to asking, “Do I have the right to speak,”... See more
Astra Taylor • The Right to Listen
It is also almost impossible to expect large numbers of people to think in terms of principles, to understand the profound difference between “I don’t approve of this” and “this should be illegal.” At least, however, we have the First Amendment. Europe is an entirely other matter.