Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by fdgdasfadsf 3496 days ago
You right to free speech does not include the right for others to disagree with you, for them to not listen to you, or even for them to not like you because of what you say - they are also exercising their own freedom of speech by doing so.

Furthermore traditionally we have drawn line beyond which speech is not free (for example shouting fire in a crowded theatre is traditionally not allowed).

2 comments

> You right to free speech does not include the right for others to disagree with you

... I'm going to assume you left out a "not" in that sentence ...

>You right to free speech does not include the right for others to disagree with you, for them to not listen to you, or even for them to not like you because of what you say

That's exactly my point!

OK cool. But by downvoting they are exercising free speech.

(As an aside I tend to read downvoted comments first because I want to see why they were downvoted. It's more of a highlight than a downvote for me.)

No, they are unwilling to consider the merits of another point of view. They are doing exactly what they are preaching against. This is why Trump is president. Dismissing everything you disagree with. No point in listening, no point in thinking. You already know what the other side has to say, right? So you listen with half ear and wait patiently to tell them how wrong they are.
So would you suggest we should have a safe space where people have to listen to each other?

I will defend people's right to say things I don't like hearing. However I will also defend other people's right to not listen (as long as they don't try to prevent the speech from happening) - that is also a freedom.

To modify a quote: Your liberty to speak ends where I am forced to listen to what you are saying, my freedom to not listen ends where I prevent you from speaking.

Downvoting does not prevent the speech from happening. It merely says I don't like this. Flagging does...

>my freedom to not listen ends where I prevent you from speaking.

But that is exactly what is happening. Liberals, or libtards would be the more correct term, are drowning everything they think they disagree with, creating echo chambers. This is what divided our societies and brought us Trump, Farage, LePen, etc.