Sometimes it gains power for a long period of time with unfortunate results. Not that I think that is a valid argument against freedom of expression.
What if people start getting branded as "undesirable" by certain individuals, and others make sure to cleanse them?
So let me make it more clear, how many innocents are you willing to sacrifice for free speech?
Who said the government should decide?
> Is it better when the governing class decides certain individuals or thoughts are evil and makes sure to cleanse them from the world?
Leave it to the people, let the people vote with their wallet. People clearly don't want that kind of speech available, exhibit all absolute free speech sites.
The government dictating what is allowed to go on platforms and forcing companies to host vitriol and calls to violence to "cleanse" society is not any different to what you describe.
It just adds a middle man so the government keeps their hands clean.
Cut the strawmans. I didn't advocate for government control, you took it there, and the fact that I am even entertaining this response is well beyond what it deserves.
Personal responsibility is a far better position to defend despite the garbage that comes along for the ride than say an overarching unquestionable central authority that dictates and enforces what is acceptable for all with threat of government sanctioned violence (imprisonment) for non-compliance.
The government forcing companies to host speech they do not want to host as DeSantis wants to do with Apple, and has been done in Florida and Texas is inherently fascist.
Where is the personal responsibility for the people who willingly taunt their followers and point the finger towards minorities?
Why are republican figures not facing justice for the atrocities committed as a consequence of their speech?
Hacker News is heavily "censored" so it can maintain what it believes to be a high quality posted links and discussion.
Advertising works, so does any other form of propaganda. It's taught in psychological manipulation 101.
What you are doing is called victim blaming.
Unfortunately, idiots can carry guns and have a propensity for acting on said racism. Refusal to confront that problem in the name of some free speech ideological purity is tempting history to repeat.
Not in the UK, usually.