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Is it a free society?

Is the society described a free one?

  • Yes -- the Laws do not regulate Speech and Press

    Votes: 1 6.7%
  • No -- it is only nominally free

    Votes: 14 93.3%

  • Total voters
    15

SCitizen

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This is a hypothetical and yet very likely society. We call it USA 2026. The First Amendment is still the Law.

There is a large list of proscribed opinions, books, movies, music videos which are offensive to Liberals for different reasons. The laws prohibit neither the media nor individuals to use these materials offensive to Liberals. Yet, by now

-- All major Social Media sites have been pressured to ban anyone expressing proscribed opinions

-- Any individual publicly expressing proscribed opinions is added to the Blacklist. Most companies would not dare to hire blacklisted individuals.

-- Laws against offensive speech are enforced much more strongly in UK 2026 then in USA 2026.
 
This is a hypothetical and yet very likely society. We call it USA 2026. The First Amendment is still the Law.

There is a large list of proscribed opinions, books, movies, music videos which are offensive to Liberals for different reasons. The laws prohibit neither the media nor individuals to use these materials offensive to Liberals. Yet, by now

-- All major Social Media sites have been pressured to ban anyone expressing proscribed opinions

-- Any individual publicly expressing proscribed opinions is added to the Blacklist. Most companies would not dare to hire blacklisted individuals.

-- Laws against offensive speech are enforced much more strongly in UK 2026 then in USA 2026.

Sounds fascist. It can be done without a dictator?
 
It's not free if companies won't hire people who are blacklisted, or if social media sites are pressured to remove proscribed speech. Certain commonsense rules apply--if someone posts instructions for growing weaponizable anthrax in your bathtub, that should not be covered under free speech protections, for example.
 
Sounds fascist. It can be done without a dictator?

It can be done if more then 50% of people are against Free Speech. If most people believe in strong Left ideology.
 
It's not free if companies won't hire people who are blacklisted, or if social media sites are pressured to remove proscribed speech.

The society would be only nominally free.
 
It can be done if more then 50% of people are against Free Speech. If most people believe in strong Left ideology.

Well it would take more than that. You do know about article 5 don't you? Besides in my experience it's usually the right banning books, liberals just control the media (or so I'm told).
 
Well it would take more than that. You do know about article 5 don't you? Besides in my experience it's usually the right banning books, liberals just control the media (or so I'm told).

Spooky wisdom. You must be old?
 
SCitizen said:
The society would be only nominally free.

It might or might not be named a free society. I hear that North Korea calls itself a free society.
 
Old is relative. :lol:

It's relative to all subjects when you outclass them in sheer knowledge about the subject matter. They can't even relate, without the years of observance. It's like talking to kids?
 
This is a hypothetical and yet very likely society. We call it USA 2026. The First Amendment is still the Law.

There is a large list of proscribed opinions, books, movies, music videos which are offensive to Liberals for different reasons. The laws prohibit neither the media nor individuals to use these materials offensive to Liberals. Yet, by now

-- All major Social Media sites have been pressured to ban anyone expressing proscribed opinions

-- Any individual publicly expressing proscribed opinions is added to the Blacklist. Most companies would not dare to hire blacklisted individuals.

-- Laws against offensive speech are enforced much more strongly in UK 2026 then in USA 2026.

There are no free societies.
 
Society and freedom are inherently antithetical. The more free the "society," the less truly societal it is, and the more societal it is, the less free it's going to be.

The most freedom one can have is to live in a place where no societal constraints whatsoever are imposed. But that means there isn't a society.
 
Society is by its own very definition both free and constrained at the same time. But through the law it's as free as any other concept can conceive.
 
This is a hypothetical and yet very likely society. We call it USA 2026. The First Amendment is still the Law.

There is a large list of proscribed opinions, books, movies, music videos which are offensive to Liberals for different reasons. The laws prohibit neither the media nor individuals to use these materials offensive to Liberals. Yet, by now

-- All major Social Media sites have been pressured to ban anyone expressing proscribed opinions

-- Any individual publicly expressing proscribed opinions is added to the Blacklist. Most companies would not dare to hire blacklisted individuals.

-- Laws against offensive speech are enforced much more strongly in UK 2026 then in USA 2026.

Hypothetical, certainly, but I disagree with the 'likely' hogwash.

There are laws that regulate free speech in this country right now, and they are even more strict in the UK.
 
This is a hypothetical and yet very likely society. We call it USA 2026. The First Amendment is still the Law.

There is a large list of proscribed opinions, books, movies, music videos which are offensive to Liberals for different reasons. The laws prohibit neither the media nor individuals to use these materials offensive to Liberals. Yet, by now

-- All major Social Media sites have been pressured to ban anyone expressing proscribed opinions

-- Any individual publicly expressing proscribed opinions is added to the Blacklist. Most companies would not dare to hire blacklisted individuals.

-- Laws against offensive speech are enforced much more strongly in UK 2026 then in USA 2026.

Yes, freedom goes both ways, and social media sites and businesses have the right to freedom of association.

What would be your remedy to this situation?
 
If the law is set up to ban certain things, then no it is no longer a "free" society. But freedom is relative. There is no such thing as a truly free nation, because there would be no nation like some have suggested. Any law that is in place, reduces a person's freedom.
 
Sounds fascist. It can be done without a dictator?

In relatively wide swathes of Europe the situation is already very much on its way to the situation described. This is happening well supported by the populations albeit acting on populist arguments.
 
In relatively wide swathes of Europe the situation is already very much on its way to the situation described. This is happening well supported by the populations albeit acting on populist arguments.

Perhaps you can provide an example, and if not I understand.
 
And this is supposed to be a result of populations acting on populist arguments?

We in the US have our own idea of freedom of speech, and European countries often have different attitudes toward freedom of speech. I remember getting into a cab in Nottingham that posted a notice any racial epithets directed at the cab driver were punishable by a fine and even imprisonment.

I was aghast, but it's just a fact of life.

European nations in the EU are supposed to follow EU laws in regards to free speech. They simply aren't doing that. In regards to arresting people for Holocaust denial, or not allowing religious people to dress in a manner that they wish.
 
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/24/opinion/24iht-edrojan.html?_r=0

Here is an article about the current situation with European nations and freedom of speech.

And this is supposed to be a result of populations acting on populist arguments?

We in the US have our own idea of freedom of speech, and European countries often have different attitudes toward freedom of speech. I remember getting into a cab in Nottingham that posted a notice any racial epithets directed at the cab driver were punishable by a fine and even imprisonment.

I was aghast. The idea I might insult the person who was, to be sure, behind the wheel seemed so farfetched, but it's just a fact of life in Britain I guess.
 
European nations in the EU are supposed to follow EU laws in regards to free speech. They simply aren't doing that. In regards to arresting people for Holocaust denial, or not allowing religious people to dress in a manner that they wish.

It looks like the US is a bit more liberal than Europe when it comes to free speech, at least in a general sense.

I don't actually see the problem with that.
 
It looks like the US is a bit more liberal than Europe when it comes to free speech, at least in a general sense.

I don't actually see the problem with that.

You asked for examples of a move in Europe to limit viewpoints that the populace didn't agree with. That's all I was referring to.
 
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