Dear Right Wing “Free Speech Defenders”

You seem pretty angry…

I can fix that.

Because, you see, there is no assault on your free speech, so no need to worry! :)

I know, I know, you don’t like how you are criticised if you say or do something people say is problematic.

But here’s the thing,

criticism is not an attack on your freedom of speech.

Criticism IS freedom of speech you silly billies!

Ah but Criticism is silencing, I’m sure you will say.

So, what can you do about that without becoming what you claim to fight against and suppressing our freedom to criticise?

Do you really you think that the societal suppression of problematic speech is worth silencing our criticism, our free speech?

If so, then congratulations!

I mean you’re still completely wrong but still, well done, you have at least arrived at the truth that absolute freedom of speech is impossible.

Which of course means that there will always be a weighing up of rights and risk, a need to figure out which kind of speech requires extra protection.

A balanced be must be struck because there are forms of speech that do suppress other kinds of speech.

However what you refuse to acknowledge is that the speech that is the most suppressive is the problematic speech that you are criticised for.

The criticism does far, far, far less damage.

The consequences of a racist not being able to be racist is nothing when you think for a second about a gay person not being able to speak the truth about the truth of their very being, they cannot find love, they have to live a lie. A racist just has to think his vile ignorance to himself, it doesn’t stop them in the same way an LGBT person is stopped from living a full life.

I really hope you learnt something because your ill-informed and misguided campaigns are truly tiresome and actually a bit terrifying because the only outcome that would achieve your aims is the suppression of my freedom of speech.