> Some people's freedom of speech silences other people.
No, this is completely and totally incorrect. What is correct is that some people silence themselves in reaction to others' free speech. The power is all in their hands: they have the freedom to speak, but they choose not to use it.
That applies to me as much as anyone else: on some controversial topics I choose to speak my mind, generally because I think that there's a chance I can persuade others to see things correctly; on other controversial topics I don't believe that there's any chance to persuade folks, so I silence myself. What's the point of controversy if no-one will be persuaded? It's just trolling.
Regarding hate speech, I have showdead turned on and I've not really noticed a problem with it. There are a very few loons, but they get downvoted to heck and that's that.
No, this is completely and totally incorrect. What is correct is that some people silence themselves in reaction to others' free speech. The power is all in their hands: they have the freedom to speak, but they choose not to use it.
That applies to me as much as anyone else: on some controversial topics I choose to speak my mind, generally because I think that there's a chance I can persuade others to see things correctly; on other controversial topics I don't believe that there's any chance to persuade folks, so I silence myself. What's the point of controversy if no-one will be persuaded? It's just trolling.
Regarding hate speech, I have showdead turned on and I've not really noticed a problem with it. There are a very few loons, but they get downvoted to heck and that's that.