Free Speech Ain’t Free
Let’s discuss why Milo Yiannopoulos’ scheduled speech at the University of California at Berkeley on February 1, 2017 and the ensuing protests and riots WAS NOT ABOUT FREE SPEECH…
One of the lowlights of 2016 was the ascendance of the insult “snowflake” being hurled from the right at the left. Oh, liberals love free speech as long as it’s about something they agree with. The whole point of political correctness is to protect the little snowflakes.
Yiannopoulos, a writer for the alt-right (a.k.a. white supremacist) Breitbart website, is a self-proclaimed “free-speech fundamentalist” (whatever the hell that means), but what exactly does the Constitution’s Bill of Rights mean by freedom of speech?
Yes, as the ever-insightful xkcd comic explains, it means that means that the government can’t arrest him for his hateful rhetoric. That’s it. He can spew unpopular sentiments without being penalized by the government.
Here’s what freedom of speech DOESN’T mean: it doesn’t mean that there are no consequences. If an employer feels your hate speech doesn’t represent their mission or brand well, they can fire you. If you verbally attack someone with slurs, they may just punch you (not that I encourage violence or anything). It also doesn’t compel news organizations to provide a platform for you to insult their viewers, listeners, or readers.
The real point of political correctness isn’t to dictate what can and can’t be said — it’s not about censorship at all. It merely informs and educates society that words have meaning and they have costs.
“HATE speech is not FREE SPEECH. Every time hate speech is permitted, it costs someone part of his or her self, part of their self-respect, or part of their sanity. It rips people to shreds and destroys society. Hate speech is anything but free.” — Unknown
These costs are real and tangible for the targets of hate speech. This is not a case of being a “snowflake” or overly sensitive. Victims often experience moderate to severe psychological and physical effects from sustained exposure to microaggressions and overt racism. It can literally take years off someone’s life.
So yes, Yiannopoulos and others of his ilk have the absolute right to say whatever they want. For those of us who would rather not be hateful jerks, political correctness (and plain old common decency) provide helpful guidelines. However, if being an asshole to perfect strangers is your modus operandi, have at it.
Just don’t be surprised when others use their own freedom of speech to tell you off.
