What is freedom of speech really?
In the United States people are encouraged on one hand to "be real" and to "express your true opinion". On the other hand those who do this are often punished for "expressing the wrong opinion". So what is free speech really? I would say free speech is only that the government will not officially arrest you for saying something (most of the time anyway).
Free speech vs political correctness
Both free speech and political correctness are now rendered as nothing more than a method of litmus testing. A litmus test is defined:.
A litmus test is a question asked of a potential candidate for high office, the answer to which would determine whether the nominating official would proceed with the appointment or nomination. The expression is a metaphor based on the litmus test in chemistry, in which one is able to test the general acidity of a substance, but not its exact pH. Those who must approve a nominee, such as a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, may also be said to apply a litmus test to determine whether the nominee will receive their vote. In these contexts, the phrase comes up most often with respect to nominations to the judiciary.
The only opinion I feel free to express about the litmus test is that I think that litmus testing is irresponsible to conduct. I don't think we can know a person by how they answer a question in public. I think to know a person is to analyze their decision making capability. This requires we actually study decisions they've made in the past and discuss those decisions. It's in my opinion more important what someone does than what someone says and even when looking at what someone does it is important to focus on their best decisions rather than their worst.
Are we really only free to say what everyone else is thinking?
If everyone else is thinking it and you say it then while it may be free speech the speech is endorsed by the minds of the general public. It's backed by millions of people. On the other hand if you say something truly unpopular (even if it's somehow right) it is going to be dismissed and possibly even discredited. If what you say cannot be discredited then the risk exists that the you yourself can be personally discredited so that nothing you ever say has any future value. So what is the value of political debate?
Is political debate worthless or is it educational?
More and more I am beginning to believe that there really isn't any value in political debate. More like with religious debate if people disagree with what you have to say they will not change their mind. In fact, many will designate you as the enemy if you don't think about politics exactly as they do. On the other hand in an ideal world people could have political debates not with the intention of discrediting the other side but with the intention of actually exploring ideas. The true debates in my opinion are rare and tribalism seems to have made most political discussion without any positive long term value. On the other hand people who don't participate in political discussion get judged as well so what is the answer?