"I'm pretty sure that anyone can say whatever they want as long as you remain in the guidelines."
-Michaela Harris
#freespeechmatters 27.08.2021
Here’s an idea: If you don’t like what somebody has to say online, why don’t you keep scrolling or just get off social media completely? There are millions of online users; you’re likely to disagree with people while utilizing these broadly appreciated platforms. Instead of letting a post you disagree with ruin your day and letting somebody you never met live rent free in your head, move along and keep scrolling.
Why are so many of you dedicated to making your views universal? If we all were to just worry about ourselves, we wouldn’t be having their debates; we wouldn’t be fighting their wars; and we as a people wouldn’t be this divided. Being at our neighbors’ throats over politics is no way to live. We can agree to disagree, and that’s part of what makes America great.
You’re never going to change somebody’s mind online. Most people are committed to their views. They view their beliefs as sacred and certainly won’t sacrifice them for a cleverly-worded meme. While debating political topics online can absolutely be a blast, too many people take other people’s views too personally, which results in online threats, harassment, and sometimes even violence.
Anybody who is interested should engage in the national discourse through the use of reason and logical arguments. Resorting to name calling does nothing more than provoke your opponent and prove you know nothing about what you’re arguing. It is perfectly within your rights to express your dissent however you see fit. I, personally, don’t get offended when somebody resorts to child-like behavior when attacking my views. However, you can’t expect me to take you seriously in the real world, or vote for you in a local council race, if you present yourself ignorantly online.
Online users who resort to child-like behavior shouldn’t be blocked or banned. They need the market place of ideas now more than ever. Don’t forget: These people vote. Their vote is equal to your vote, regardless of how uninformed they may be. We must focus our energy and resources on people who are willing to learn, and ignore those who are too full of themselves to ever change their minds in light of new evidence.
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