FSF Hot Takes: The Rise of Political Violence & Decline of Free Speech (Part 1)

“If it bleeds, it leads," they say—and in the algorithm age, we're all drowning in egregiously hyperbolic content designed to polarize. In the wake of the third assassination attempt on President Trump, plus Charlie Kirk's tragic murder and attacks on the UnitedHealthcare CEO and various state representatives, Chris and Joia launch a new Hot Takes mini-series confronting what the data shows is an alarming trend: Americans—especially young Americans—increasingly accept politically-oriented violence as justified.Chris and Joia argue this rise directly correlates with the decline of free speech culture, driven by the noxious idea that "speech is violence," which has blurred the lines of distinction between speech and physical force. They warn against carving out exceptions, noting that even after World War II, we responded to Nazis with the Nuremberg Trials, not with such a quick insistence on violence that so many seem to harbor today.The mission of this multi-part series will be to question, explore, and try to figure out how to reinstate some of the basic understanding and values around free speech in order to stop this trend toward violence. It’s crucial, because when you can't distinguish words from weapons, civilization itself becomes the casualty.Here are links for data, polls, and surveys referenced in this episode:https://expression.fire.org/p/gen-z-is-10-times-more-acceptinghttps://x.com/kanekoathegreat/status/2048215568118133246?s=43&t=VYiTS2LZUOf6UxNW9GkBlA Americans say politically motivated violence is increasing, and they see many reasons why Political Violence in America: Public Perceptions, Polarization, and Accountability