Ah, free speech. A surprisingly divisive issue despite the fact it is outlined in our Constitution's First Amendment. Conservatives think that liberals are trying to take it away. Liberals think that conservatives exercise too much of it at times. I actually agree with the liberals on this topic, but not exactly in the way that is described by conservative media.
Conservative media tends to describe most liberals/Democrats as crazy "social justice warriors" whose minds will literally melt if they hear a differing opinion. News flash: we aren't like that. But as the country is arguably at its most divisive in ages, I think the speech worth pointing out that comes from some conservatives, not all, is becoming more extreme. As time progresses, even within modern history, with the advancements of social movements like Black Lives Matter and the legalization of same-sex marriage, liberals have been met with much opposition from conservatives and conservative media. Social movements like these that fight for people's rights that they did not have in the past have angered those against them and filled social media feeds and streets with rhetoric that many deem hateful.
And that's the right of conservatives to say that. They can say "All Lives Matter" and tweet about how disgusting it is for two men to get married all day long. Many do so, under the confidence of the freedoms the First Amendment guarantees. But the moment a liberal calls them out on it, they almost play victim, claiming their First Amendment rights are being threatened.
The fact of the matter is that the First Amendment protects their right to say whatever the heck they want from government censorship, no matter how hateful or ignorant others may deem it to be — But it doesn't protect you from my reaction to it.
The First Amendment ensures that people who spew hateful rhetoric are not jailed or punished by governmental action, but it does not ensure that there are absolutely no consequences for those actions. And this is what the right gets wrong time and time again.
An example that comes to mind is the recent incident at Georgia's Carrollton High School, where two students posted a video of themselves saying the N-word and dishing racist insults about black people. I can agree that freedom of speech protects their right to say those things and they won't be jailed. However, that is where the freedoms do and should end. That speech does not prevent the superintendent from making the decision to expel them and their colleges from being notified. Furthermore, the irony is that in this incident, conservatives may say that one mistake should not ruin someone's life like this and seem to forget about their whole ideology of personal responsibility.
Granted, this is an extreme example and I am certainly not labeling all conservatives as racists. It is still a parallel there worth mentioning. Controversial, extreme language is becoming more mainstream in political media, and conservatives seem to think that they should be able to get away with it with absolutely no repercussions. I disagree with this sentiment.
Ultimately, I understand that freedom of speech is an important one, and it is what gives me the right to criticize conservatives right now. I don't think people should be jailed for a speech like what I mentioned, as most people could agree. Just don't expect others to simply standby and let you get away with it.
