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I Believe In Free Speech, Even If I Don't Like The Message

The whole essence of freedom is that it is freedom for others as well as ourselves … [it is] a conception which is not born with us, but which we must painfully acquire. Most of us have no instinct at all to preserve the right of the other fellow to think what he likes about our beliefs, and to say what he likes about our opinions… [But] if truth is to emerge, and in the long run be triumphant, the process of free debate – the untrammelled clash of opinion – must go on.

Robert Menzies

Australian Prime Minister

1939 to 1941 and again from 1949 to 1966

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therighttothink50 · 56-60, M

Free speech is very hard to distinguish these days. The leftist monopoly heaved upon the internet along with their trillions of leftist spewing propagandist algorithmic bots makes it hard to believe free speech can be balanced today, quite a sick world the leftist technocratic indoctrinators have created.

IAmJess

@therighttothink50 But you are doing exactly what "they" do. Because you disagree with them, they are "propagandist" and "sick" and "indoctrinators." Why not simply state your opinions without disparaging your opponents and their opinions??

SmartKat · 61-69, F

True. There are opinions out there that I disagree with. But the people who hold them, do have a right to speak.

If I don’t like what they’re saying, I have several options:

1 - Argue
2 - Say, “I disagree,” and then leave the conversation.
3 - Ignore them.

I usually go with option 2. I’m not going to explain things more than once; and I’m also not going to roll over and pretend I agree. But that being the case, I don’t see the point of getting into long discussions. Words are a terrible thing to waste.

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SmartKat · 61-69, F

@SW-User [blushing....]

IAmJess

@SmartKat Change your option one to "debate" and I agree completely with your post.

I don't like to argue and try not to get sucked into arguments, but I love to debate and have studied the art of debate.

For all perspectives to be aired and for truth to be discovered, someone needs to jump into the ring and be the standard bearer for your ideas.

SmartKat · 61-69, F

@IAmJess There are already more than enough debaters in the world, and standard bearers. Unless I have something new to say, I’m just being repetitive.

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