Most people who speak of 4chan in this way, are really just talking about /b/.
Now, if you want to call it "the last bastion of freedom [to spread hate ideologies, post loli hentai, etc]", go ahead. However, be clear that you are defending the freedom to commit immoral acts.
4chan is the Mal Reynolds of the internet, not Luke Skywalker.
I see no problem with defending freedom of horrible people. Both from an ethical standpoint, and from a pragmatic standpoint (I would rather those people communicate in a way that has some visibility/oversight. You are not going to stop them, only push them underground; I think most would agree that would be a bad thing.)
Yes, and? If you actually believe in free speech, calling someone a Horrible Person is not a disguised argument for shutting them down.
4chan is full of really horrible people. Sometimes I am one of them. This doesn't mean they should be shut down by the government or something. However, it also doesn't mean they're Glorious Heroes Fighting For Righteousness.
> oldfriend
Hey wait a minute ...
CENSORSHIP
Who is arguing that?
Now surely everyone is going to yell that they're just protecting their beloved web from censorship. However, since I never proposed censorship, that means most of them are arguing against the evil, censorious Congressman in their own heads, rather than against anything I actually said.