My buddy from college in Australia told me their 'hate speech' laws would stop online fights. I thought he was nuts.

We were talking about a big online fight over a political cartoon, and he said their laws meant you could get fined for posting stuff that might offend a group. I told him that was just a way to shut people up and that free speech means dealing with ugly opinions. He said it actually made discussions calmer because people had to think before they posted. I didn't buy it, thinking it was just government overreach. But after seeing how some of our own online spaces have turned into pure rage zones where no real talk happens, I'm starting to see his point. It's a tough spot, because I still don't like the idea of a government deciding what's too offensive. Has anyone else had a chat with someone from a country with really strict speech rules that made you rethink things?

2 comments

2 Comments

miller.avery6d ago

Funny enough, the plumbing code has a lot of rules that seem annoying until you realize they stop people's basements from flooding. Maybe some speech rules are like that, a basic safety thing for the public square. The trick is who writes the code and if they ever update it for new problems.

blair_allen6d ago

Honestly that's the real issue, who gets to be the plumber and how often they check the pipes.