I noticed it most often gets misused by people who very clearly absolutely do not want YOU to have freedom of speech - just them. It's just another bullying tactic to try and shame you into shutting up and not arguing with them.

Freedom of Speech is the right to criticise your Government without fear of repercussions. It isn't the right to broadcast your views about anything to everyone.

My favorite are the people who love to spew racist, sexist, homo, and trans phobic nonsense and when you judge them, they whine about freedom of speech but they insist anything actually positive, and empathetic is “shoved down their throat” and “woke” (like it’s a bad thing)

Freedom of speech is just that only. You have the ability to speak, but be wise where, when and topic.

Looking at you Alex Jones!

Freedom of speech means you can say whatever you want but it doesn't protect you from being ridiculed if what you say is idiotic or called out and shunned if you're spewing hate.

It's wonderful how some people try to have it both ways. When they say hateful things, they are exercising their right to free speech. When other speak out to disagree and condemn them, then they say those others are attacking their right to free speech.

This! Free speech is not consequence-free speech

In USA, it only means that the *government* cannot censor you (within limits) or limit your speech. But if you're a massive, ignorant a-hole, then yes you can and should suffer the consequences from your peers.

This is one of the things that makes me most annoyed! "But my freedom of speech!!" is usually whined about by people who have no idea what their rights actually are or what they mean. You can certainly say anything you want to, but that doesn't mean there are no consequences when you say something horrible.

Moreover, the first amendment just prevents the GOVERNMENT from making LAWS that prevent speech. If it's not the government telling you, legally, to shut up, there's nothing you can do about it. That includes facebook, twitter, walmart, wherever. They are not the government, they can censor your speech.

The wording of the amendment is very specific: the *Congress* shall *pass no law* etc. etc. Private individuals, corporations, institutions, and the like can set any rules they choose, and telling you to shut up is not violating your rights in any way. In many ways it's similar to the Bible - the people who yell loudest about what it says tend to have the least amount of actual understanding of it.

In the US, freedom of speech doesn't protect you from consequences. What you say can potentially get you fired, arrested, sued or killed.

you DO get to say whatever you want but yes you have to take responsibility for what you said.

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Yes, adding the WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES is extremely important to this comment.

It's the without consequence bit that gets them everytime

Amen. Just because you CAN say anything you want doesn't mean that you SHOULD.

I think there is a fundamental misconception about freedom of speech and freedom of thought. It was mentioned before but bears repeating. This is a right given to us so a government cannot imprison us for speaking out against it. This is in reference to the government. Not private businesses. Privately owned businesses are not bound to this. If Elon wants you off Twitter, then out you go. Its his clubhouse. It's the same if you walk into a coffee shop and start yelling about how ugly you think the decoration is. Or yelling about a regulation on a plane. They have the right to usher you out at their discretion. Stand on the corner and scream all you want. No one can take that away. That's why cities give permits to protest parades.

That is the definition of freedom of speech. Doesn't mean there are not repercussions

Freedom of speech does mean you can literally say anything you want at any time. Communism is not murka or capitalism and they want to have power control money no talking

And this goes for both sides of the spectrum because I've been called a "Karen" by someone who was "woke" for not knowing that a word that was originally used only in a scientific describing of organisms that reproduced without the need of a partner is also now used on humans in some capacity. I proceeded to educate this young woman, and because I knew what I was talking about; she decided that I needed to be personally attacked. Just because you live behind a screen does not make you smarter than the next person especially if you're unwilling to seize the moment and learn from someone else.

Who's consequences, though? The majority of ones who think they're enabled to be jury over anyone can pound sand.

Love this one

It means exactly that, no, you can't you'll fire in the theater, I have the right to say things you may not like to hear. If it's not a threatening nature, it's fine. Get over yourself

Freedom of speech =/= freedom from consequences. Freedom of speech = Not getting thrown in jail for criticizing the government

I do what I want!! Well not really but still🤣🤣🤣

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It literally does, you r******d c**t.

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It’s funny though, that, especially on college campuses, you never see a “conservative” group try to shut down an invited “liberal” speaker. But the “progressives” are deathly afraid of someone speaking from a different viewpoint, and will do anything to get that speaker blocked