When did Free Speech disappear?

seven-day-weekend

I am concerned that it appears to have become impossible to have rational debates on certain issues.

Why are am I and other people not allowed to state our distaste for little children being taught things that small children should not know about....

....or express our distaste for gender-neutral toilets...

.....or our dislike of politically-correct appointments.....

....or our concern about the amount of people entering our country....

.....or our worries about terrorism.......

...... or the sidelining of Christianity whilst Islam is lauded and paraded......

....What happened to free speech? Or even free thought?

pepper77_2

Currently you can say and think what you like.
Just not on this site, which, as you should be aware, has its fair share of button pushers who wouldn't have the bottle to argue with you (or I) face to face.

redux

I didn't realise you weren't allowed.

Is this a problem of being on the internet too much? Is the antagonism also coming out in real face to face chats with friends and neighbours?

ameliarate

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

I am concerned that it appears to have become impossible to have rational debates on certain issues.

Why are am I and other people not allowed to state our distaste for little children being taught things that small children should not know about....

....or express our distaste for gender-neutral toilets...

.....or our dislike of politically-correct appointments.....

....or our concern about the amount of people entering our country....

.....or our worries about terrorism.......

...... or the sidelining of Christianity whilst Islam is lauded and paraded......

....What happened to free speech? Or even free thought?

I don't think it is true that we can't state any of the above, as long as we do it in a manner which is not completely offensive.

bertiewhite

I'm worried about terrorism.

There, I said it!!!!

Jackmydad

pepper77 wrote: »

Currently you can say and think what you like.
Just not on this site, which, as you should be aware, has its fair share of button pushers who wouldn't have the bottle to argue with you (or I) face to face.

I'd argue with you but our views are often similar.

Some of the stuff that I've seen disappear has hardly been "offensive" IMO.
"Offensive" is not just disagreeing with someone surely?
It is a discussion forum?

M'aiq_the_Liar

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

I am concerned that it appears to have become impossible to have rational debates on certain issues.

Why are am I and other people not allowed to state our distaste for little children being taught things that small children should not know about....

....or express our distaste for gender-neutral toilets...

.....or our dislike of politically-correct appointments.....

....or our concern about the amount of people entering our country....

.....or our worries about terrorism.......

...... or the sidelining of Christianity whilst Islam is lauded and paraded......

....What happened to free speech? Or even free thought?

Totally agree.
Our society has turned into one whereby minority religions/fringe groups/sexual orientations can dictate what is appropriate behaviour.

The majority in the UK are an aside.

NineDeuce

What do you want to say that you cant?

Sidelining of Christianity? When the country starts taking Christianity seriously itself, then perhaps you will have a point. When, for example, Christmas is voluntarily sidelined as a largely Christian affair, transformed into a 4 month advertising and present buying exercise headed up by Santa Claus, then please start another forum....

pogofish

What makes you think we ever had "free speech" to begin with..?

The limited freedoms in the UK are mainly the result of historical accident/incompetence, not any actual desire ir intention to imbue freedom.

societys_child

ameliarate wrote: »

I don't think it is true that we can't state any of the above, as long as we do it in a manner which is not completely offensive.

Unfortunately, some can take offence at anything they don't agree with, whether it's offensive or not.

Think you can now be charged, if someone hears you say something they find offensive, and then there is also the growing army of professional offence takers to contend with.

fairy_lights

Free speech hasn't disappeared, some people just confuse it with being a bigot.