The surface level free-speech argument is beaten to death. Yes, we know free-speech is important. We fight hard for it because it is important. Speech is incredibly powerful.

We know speech causes material changes to the world, that is why we fight so hard for to protect that freedom. So lets move the conversation forward, to the material changes this rise in anti-intellectual, conspiracy minded, anti-science free speech crusaders are attempting to cause--what world are they attempting to create by using powerful speech?

Let's not be disingenuous and pretend these types of speech should be brushed away as if they don't matter, as if speech is harmless, as if it has no impact on the world. We know it has impacts, that is why we fight to protect speech.

Speech can't be both powerful enough to protect and simultaneously meaningless to the point that no one should be concerned. We can't say "Speech is the most important thing we have." and then turn around and say "Oh, its just words, ignore it, snowflake." We can't have it both ways. If we protect speech because of it's power, then targets of hate speech have a right to be upset when it takes aim at them. If we protect speech because it is powerful, then we all have a right to be concerned with the enormous rise in anti-science or just plain bad information masquerading as science. Speech matters, we have a right to be pissed when it's used for nefarious purposes or used carelessly--it is not meaningless, it is powerful.