• wheezy@lemmy.ml
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    11 days ago

    I really wish Americans would learn that free speech is an illusion that exists in their heads; and stop feeling like they have to defend white supremacist with this “right to free speech” line everytime these groups get together to start violence.

    There is no such thing as free speech. It’s a cute little idea. But it only ever seems to be protected and spoken about to defend the existing structures of power and white supremacy.

    • Brkdncr@lemmy.world
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      11 days ago

      It’s really just protection from the government. It doesn’t mean the things you say don’t have repercussions.

      • wheezy@lemmy.ml
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        11 days ago

        Tell me at which time in history free speech was protected in America?

        Tell that to women, slaves, immigrants, communist, Japanese Americans during WW2, socialist, civil rights leaders, etc.

        It’s a nice “idea” mate. But, it’s never been an actual thing that has existed at any time in American history.

        You’re allowed your free speech for as long as the government does not see that speech as a threat to its power and status quo. Unions, civil rights activist, slave abolishonist, they were not allowed their “free speech” because people hearing what they had to say was seen as a threat to maintain the oppressive structures of Capital, white supremacy, and slavery.

        Give me a decade in the last 250 years and I’ll give you an example of the government arresting or suppressing it’s citizens “right to free speech”.

        It exists in your head as an idea we all like to thrive for. Sure. But it has never actually existed in application.

        • DMCMNFIBFFF@lemmy.world
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          11 days ago

          People have rights.

          Sometimes rights are violated, and sometimes their rights have to be defended, or failing that, they have a right to awards for damages from the violators of such rights.

          Under socialism, is speech restricted as per the terms of the party in power, or the Great Dear Leader?

          Is a woman’s right to abortion subject to the needs of pro-natalist socialism?

          Would it be just for 100 000 of, say, Uighurs who are counter-revolutionaries, or who are at risk at becoming counterrevolutionaries, to be sent to re-education camps to become the ethnicity of the group that is the most accomplished at enacting socialist policies?