What is 'Free Speech'?

[Lowaicue]

All this talk od 'N's, 'C's, 'F's and 'WTF's and the tired old mantra 'I don't agree with what you are saying but I'll fight etc etc ad nauseam' shines a rather weak and watery beam on the fact that for all their bluster most people cannot define 'Free Speech' without lapsing into brain dead thought bites.

Can you tell me what free speech is, sensibly that is?

 

[charver]

I'll go with Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights:
"the right to hold opinions without interference" and "[e]veryone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice"

The trouble comes when one defines the responsibilities which attach themselves to unfettered freedom of speech.

 

[Canceled2]

Free speech used to be speech, that allowed a person to say what they wished, without any action from the state to stop him, so long as it did not incite panic and mayhem i.e. shouting fire in a crowded theater. Now with dumb laws about politically correct speech (hate speech) we have slipped into the rabbit hole of subjectivity.

 

[/MSG/]

All this talk od 'N's, 'C's, 'F's and 'WTF's and the tired old mantra 'I don't agree with what you are saying but I'll fight etc etc ad nauseam' shines a rather weak and watery beam on the fact that for all their bluster most people cannot define 'Free Speech' without lapsing into brain dead thought bites.

Can you tell me what free speech is, sensibly that is?

Speech without restriction by law.

 

[Stallion]

To me, free speech means the ability to speak freely against the government. I believe the founders created the first amendment with this first in their mind. Before their time there was little or no freedom to dissent from the government. Over time the courts have continued to define what free speech means, but I believe, the initial idea was the ability to freely speak dissent against the government.