Until the people who manipulate free speech for political and financial gain either poison it or ban it.
There is no such thing as free speech in an era of weaponised media. The principle has become a nonsense.
Free speech cannot exist when there are huge well-funded and technology sophisticated opinion forming machines influencing the public - because shouting down and discrediting “unpopular” (i.e. politically and economically undesirable) opinions is just censorship dressed up as free debate.
No matter how dangerous free speech may be in your mind, censorship is 1000x more dangerous. I see evidence of this all around me as the remnants of an inhumane regime still stand in every city here and in the cities of most of our neighbors. If no such evidence is present in your environment, consider yourself extremely fortunate and please don't take it for granted. Pick up a history book and consider the implications of what you are saying very carefully.
Simply put, the way to fight the abuse of free speech is with more free speech, not less, more access to information, not less, more freedom of assembly and association, not less. This principle has been the foundation of the least repressive societies in human history and it has a definite and proven track record, unlike limiting speech, which simply does not.
There is no such thing as free speech in an era of weaponised media. The principle has become a nonsense.
Free speech cannot exist when there are huge well-funded and technology sophisticated opinion forming machines influencing the public - because shouting down and discrediting “unpopular” (i.e. politically and economically undesirable) opinions is just censorship dressed up as free debate.