Why do most Americans oppose freedom of expression?

I think that they don't appreciate and understand what they have. Most Americans want to limit your expression so that only ideas popular with them can be voiced. Most Americans are unwilling to permit you to express unpopular ideas. They scare me more than the people expressing hateful ideas. How about you?

 

It isn't most Americans. I haven't seen evidence that mature conservatives or moderates try to shut anyone down. Let's speak to 'Most Millennials'. Growing up, baby boomers and older Americans encountered people we disagreed with mildly. I say mildly because it took us a while to develop strong beliefs and sometimes those beliefs changed before they settled in to our makeup. Because many millennials have been brainwashed from the time they entered K-12, they have never had to deal with minor differences of opinion. Then they find themselves in college where the brainwashing continues, but there is a slight diversity of ideas. They take those as violent assaults, react violently, or run and hide in their safe spaces.

Think of the normal as a daily minor dose of diverse opinions. Like a vaccine. By the time we reached maturity, we had built up an immunity and were able to deal with a variety of ideas without being 'Triggered'. We never used that term because we were immune.

Mostly, we find this intolerance on the left since even in today's world, conservative kids are exposed to ideas they don't necessarily buy from the time the bell rings at school.

See if you can find a book by the name of "The Coddling of the American Mind". This is a new phenomenon that will likely be addressed in the literature.

 

I share your opinion of censors. However, I don't agree with your perception that its 'most Americans'. Why do you think this? Is it possible that a very loud minority of censors are inflating their influence beyond what it really is?

 

Well, if I expressed the belief that my race is superior to all others, I presume that I would be kicked off most forums. Incidentally, I hold NO such belief, but I'm not opposed to another expressing that view. If one expressed such a view here, would they be banned?

 

Most Liberals strongly oppose Free Speech.

Most Conservatives lack empathy for victims of gun violence. Most Conservatives lack empathy for those who can not support themselves.

Most people have character flaws.

Very few people are truly evil.

 

People opposing your "expression" isn't a violation of Freedom of Speech. Only when the government seeks to limit it.

 

He didn't say 'oppose', he said 'limit'. Opposing an expression is an expression. Limiting it is authoritarianism.

 

His title says "oppose". He uses the terms interchangeably.

 

Correct, but my point stands. Most people oppose freedom of expression.

 

I did miss that...

However, opposing an expression and opposing freedom of expression are very different. He said opposing freedom of expression, which is not different than limiting expression.

 

You probably wouldn't call them Liberal. You couldn't call them Progressive.

Most Conservatives believe that restricting legal gun purchases keeps guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens. We believe gun-free zones are killing fields.

Most Conservatives lack empathy for those who will not support themselves. Slavery was a Democrat plan to have blacks work but not vote. Johnson came along with Welfare, a plan for black people to vote but not work. Understanding that blacks have been the victims of despicable policies, not their authors, has opened a new relationship between Conservatives and blacks.

I'm not convinced of the latter.

 

You are exactly right on all.

 

Let me clarify. I am saying that most people oppose another's right to express an unpopular idea. In other words, if they dislike the idea, you should be banned from expressing it.

 

I agree with several of the responses. What you are speaking to is the identity politics which has morphed into ideology politics with an ugly twist. Literally such people tend to accept anything their mind says is right as evidence that it is right, and therefore wrong for anyone to contest it. That has extended itself to the right to abuse and threaten people you don't agree with based on nothing more that a symbol of support. The MAGA hat is an example, there have been accusations it is the equivalent of a Nazi cross. The aspiration to endorse Making America great is an insult to Americans? This kind of thinking is more than just nuts. It's entirely a self-serving ego feed that requires all the voids of character than it implies others have.

You don't see that among conservatives, you see it in liberals and progressives, and increasingly in democrats. You also see it in dictatorships throughout history- crush any idea that opposes what you want to believe. You can't get much farther from the principal, core values of America than that.

 

Yes @spiritgide Historically those with the leftist mindset have always opposed freedom of expression. However, there is also a significant number on the right that also oppose freedom of expression, just not typically to the degree of the left.

 

I've seen folks express such a view here. I don't know if they were banned. My experience here leads me to believe that expressing your 'race' as superior would not get you banned, but expressing other races as inferior would (though Im not certain on this). I know, its a distinction without a difference, but one is more easily demonstrated as an insult than the other. Kinda like saying 'that's a dumb idea' vs 'you're dumb for having that idea.' Only one is a personal attack and violates forum rules.

 

I can't say I've seen that. I have of course seen criticism of positions and policies, and I most certainly do that, but the idea that you can't disagree is something different.
We need discussion to help distill views into the best understandings, and that means that we will at times be wading through some really mindless crap. But when criticism turns to suppression of speech, things change. One of the best ways to learn who the fools are is to let them speak and defeat themselves! Just keep the high-top waders handy.

Freedom of speech is more than about speech, because if you can suppress speech you can suppress communication of ideas and values- and instill fear of consequences.

 

It used to be that only the worst religious zealots turned their political views into a morale crusade now we have progressives who have converted such thinking into an art form.

It is one thing to state that you find an idea appalling, it is quite another to suggest that people who hold such ideas should suffer civil and legal sanctions because of those ideas.

 

Modern art sucks really bad, but I don't want to suppress it. Let the paint wasters waste whenever they want to.

 

That viewpoint should be spoken if somebody wants to speak it. I'd say at least 99% of people would reject the idea of a superior race outright and not be influenced by it. I really think it would be closer to 99.98%.

 

I find there is often confusion between the idea of freedom of expression and the right of a platform. In America, one is free to express any thought or idea. That does not guaranty anyone will hear, that requires a platform. Platforms range from a soapbox to God.

 

I'm all for freedom of expression. Just remember that anybody can reply with their opposing freedom of expression. If you are a fool, I want the world to know it.

 

I think you will find that on liberal college campuses or by liberal local governments which is NOT representative of most Americans.

 

Yes, our freedom of speech protects us from government censoring your speech not that the citizens have to listen to or agree with nor grant you a platform. Rent a hall, buy a website, buy a printing press, a radio station.

 

That's true, but it's not the topic of this thread.