Speech Support

The right to offend:

Verbal insults or taunting or criticism cannot harm or (to use a widespread term of today) “abuse” anyone physically. The “saying” is typically used to remind people of that fact and encourage emotional resilience against letting anyone else’s opinion affect personal self-esteem. So, speech is not a weapon no matter how hateful. And right after the protection of free speech in the First Amendment, the Second Amendment protects our right to possess physical arms which are weapons. So, if speech is not a real weapon, why is it being “weaponized” today? Lies can be fact-checked and countered with truth. But how is what has come to be called “hate speech” actually harming anyone? And why is it being censored by (for example) social media platforms and even “monitored” by U.S. government agencies like the FBI? Increasingly, saying (or posting) anything that might "trigger" any individual or group “sensitivity” is becoming risky and may be labeled "hate speech." Free speech is the most basic and essential of all rights, and it doesn’t matter how unsavory, agitated, or hateful it may be. Furthermore, it lets us know what other people are thinking, and that can be very useful in judging information ... and judging the people who deliver it.

This is their real fear...