“Punishing people” by calling them idiots, ignoring them, making fun of them, removing commercial opportunities from their grasp, and so on is exactly the marketplace of ideas in action.
Punishing people by exercising the power of the state — which is not what’s happening here — is the non-western thing.
What exactly are you advocating for here? Is it that people are obligated to just be nice to you regardless of what you say? Are you going to obligate people to engage in business transactions with you?
This dynamic has never existed in any free society, obviously.
Making fun of you, calling you names, and declining to associate with you is the marketplace of ideas. That's how ideas compete.
Punishing people by exercising the power of the state — which is not what’s happening here — is the non-western thing.