I don't consider the term "free speech absolutist" to mean "someone who thinks that everything that can be said should be legal and allowed, without exception." Rather, I think means someone who has maximal free speech principle (ie. not "everything", but "as much as reasonably possible") and, most importantly, is extremely consistent about it. In other words, a free speech absolutist is someone who thinks that free speech is universal and irrevocable. There are no exceptions, when it comes to the person, on whether free speech applies or not. No matter who a person is, or what he has done, or what he has said (even if what he has said has legitimately been highly illegal), he still as the exact same right to free speech as everybody else. No exceptions. No excuses. The right to free speech is not something you can remove from someone, not even someone who has abused that very right.
Likewise I consider a free speech absolutist one who considers the principle of free speech to be sacrosanct, not just the legal aspect of it. In other words, the concept of "free speech" is not something that only applies to the government and legislation, but is something that the private citizen also applies to others.
And, as mentioned, the key feature here is consistency. No double standards. No exceptions.
I think the worst kind of a self-claimed "free speech absolutist" is the one who is a hypocrite. In other words, the one who gives beautiful speeches about how important free speech is, and fights tooth and nail to defend other people's expression of free speech even on privately-owned publicly accessible platforms (such as social media)... all the way up until someone appears who this so-called "free speech absolutist" absolutely detests and hates. Someone who this "free speech absolutist" considers so evil and vile that he will completely throw out everything he has ever said about free speech, and want this one undesirable person censored, silenced, banned and deplatformed.
In other words, the "free speech hypocrite" who is all about defending the principle of free speech and how people should respect other people's right to free speech, but when the right person appears will immediately turn around and start talking about how "free speech only applies to the government, not to private platforms" and yada yada.
In other words, "free speech is for everybody... except these people who I detest."
That's not a "free speech absolutist". That's a "free speech hypocrite".
In a way I have more disdain towards these people than I do towards far-leftists who outright want people they don't like silenced and deplatformed.
Comments
Post a Comment