When did Free Speech disappear?

sillygoose

Redknapps_Dog wrote: »

The 'anti-snowflake' is even more sensitive than the snowflake, and they love being outraged by these subjects, so much so they constantly post the same repetitive rubbish. Just imagine getting so worked up about a sign on a toilet for example.

Maybe, but they are not so worked up as the people that think a perfectly good functioning sign for 99.99999% of its readers is offensive and needs changing.

fairy_lights

SamsReturn wrote: »

I know Mse isn't just picking on me. It's a common complaint by many long standing members, that threads are removed. :mad:

Yes but that's not a sign that we're losing freedom of speech, it's because people report threads (for whatever questionable reasons....) or they escalate in to arguments, and get abusive. A forum has got to have some sort of moderation so it's not surprising that things are going to disappear from time to time.
It's frustrating but I don't think it's necessarily indicative of a wider problem.

Pollycat

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 just dip in and out of DT so don't really notice if threads have been culled or pulled.

Are you talking about RL or on MSE. Or both?

Boredatwrork

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

Social Media has turned peoples lives into an echo chamber. Fake news has allowed all sides to believe they are winning and provide evidence and justification. No way out im afraid, it will get a lot worse before it gets better.

sillygoose

fairy_lights wrote: »

The ones who get worked up about their free speech being taken away because they can't say whatever they want, whenever they want with no consequences.

Still missing the point, who decides what they can't say? by doing so you are applying *your* values to them.

Again, if you don't like something someone has to say, do you have the right to say they 'can't' say it?

I am all for the 'consequences' of countering views we don't like, but as a fanatical democrat I would defend anyone's right to say it.

I would erase 'bigot' and 'offended' from the dictionary, they are cheap tarpaulins pulled over holes to stop people peering in because often the people covering the hole know whats down there and deep down it challenges their own fragile beliefs.

redux

fairy_lights wrote: »

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

sillygoose wrote: »

Which are the bigots?

Some bigots confuse what they say with being free speech.

No, inciting hatred, such as denying the Holocaust or defaming its victims are not necessarily free speech, and certainly not in places where these practices are actually illegal.

We can see from time, even if not bigotry, rather greyer areas of flirting with those boundaries, such as what can be seen as attempted defamation of some other murdered people on a thread not far away.

[Deleted User]

As a "for instance", some folk are apparently doing their nut because of a baker's advent calendar.....

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/greggs-forced-to-apologise-after-replacing-baby-jesus-with-sausage-roll-in-advent-calendar-a3691566.html

Seems perfectly reasonable advertising campaignn to me - quite funny really.... "wise men" worshipping a sausage roll is probably a bit of a wry comment, given that some folks clearly love that particular brand of sausage rolls.....

Given the obesity problem in the UK, it could be argued that sausage rolls are more popular than the religious figure being parodied .

Now, is anyone seriously suggesting that gangs of rampaging Christians are now obliged to burn down branches of the particular baker, murder it's staff etc?

WR

Tabbytabitha

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?

Redknapps_Dog wrote: »

The 'anti-snowflake' is even more sensitive than the snowflake, and they love being outraged by these subjects, so much so they constantly post the same repetitive rubbish. Just imagine getting so worked up about a sign on a toilet for example.

I don't agree with several of the examples given (toilet signs being one) but I do agree with the OP's General opinion.

amistupid

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.

Reported!.........

Boredatwrork

I find bigot a rather puzzling word.

Bigot: a person who is intolerant towards those holding different opinions.

By calling someone a bigot, are you not in some ways just exposing your own bigotry?