Once again, we see a conflation of freedom of speech and freedom of action presented in another dishonest meme.
In this image, appropriating a scene from The Simpson’s, we see a “Nazi” questioning why he is so hated by everyone else, eventually concluding that it must be his free speech rights. During this thought process, he also turns down the idea that the Nazi agenda has anything to do with why he is so unpopular with the rest of the population.
Now, it’s pretty easy to understand why the Nazi Party from Hitler’s Germany doesn’t exactly enjoy a sterling reputation. It was one of the most oppressive and destructive regimes in human history, killing as much as 12 million people during both World War II and the Holocaust. Honestly, there’s no good reason to like Nazis.
However, the United States of America recognizes their free speech for a reason. By allowing every American an equal platform to make their ideas known, it’s easy for the rest of the population to discern between good philosophies and bad ones. This has been compared to a sort of “free market” of ideas. By driving ideas like this underground, radical positions often go unchallenged.
Free speech is a right in the United States not to protect popular ideas, but unpopular ones.
~ Facts Not Memes
