Without exception? No, I don’t think that’s true, it’s just the loudest ones, unfortunately.
For genuine free speech supporters like me, this is a problem because it makes the phrase “free speech” look bad and thereby contributes to a decline in it.
That’s why I specifically called out the phrase “free speech absolutist”.
In my experience the vast majority of people who truly do advocate for freedom of speech are willing/able to understand nuances such as the fact that your freedom of speech does not grant you immunity from the social consequences of unpopular speech. I.e., other people exercising their freedom to disagree or opt not to use their private platform to host your speech. The “absolutists” will unironically call that censorship, rather than recognize other people are not compelled to engage with their speech.
Without exception? No, I don’t think that’s true, it’s just the loudest ones, unfortunately.
For genuine free speech supporters like me, this is a problem because it makes the phrase “free speech” look bad and thereby contributes to a decline in it.
That’s why I specifically called out the phrase “free speech absolutist”.
In my experience the vast majority of people who truly do advocate for freedom of speech are willing/able to understand nuances such as the fact that your freedom of speech does not grant you immunity from the social consequences of unpopular speech. I.e., other people exercising their freedom to disagree or opt not to use their private platform to host your speech. The “absolutists” will unironically call that censorship, rather than recognize other people are not compelled to engage with their speech.
I prefer to think in these terms: https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/moderation-is-different-from-censorship