Latest Issue
The Crisis of Free Speech
October 4, 2024
“Freedom of speech” is a beautiful phrase, strong, optimistic. It has a ring to it. But it’s being replaced in the discourse by “disinformation” and “misinformation,” words that aren’t beautiful but full of the small, pettifogging, bureaucratic anxiety of a familiar American villain: the busybody, the prohibitionist, the Nosey Parker, the snoop.
“…The end game is not controlling speech. They’re already doing that. The endgame is getting us to forget we ever had anything to say.”
—Matt Taibbi
It’s my birthday week and I have guests and family gathering in the next room, so this will hopefully be a quick letter as well as ending with what will likely be controversial food for thought.
This week, we take a last, too-short look at Martin Gurri’s important book, Revolt of the Public. We then turn to the free speech crisis. I will offer an optimistic view of how we might move forward from here, “here” being not just polarization but a deep distrust of the “other” in societies all over the world. We are fragmented into ever-smaller identity groups and assured that “others” are against “our” success. It’s not hard to see a crisis developing, even though we all might see a different potential crisis.
Yet, in the midst of this, if we are to believe our cycle forecasters, a period of growth and stability always follows the crisis. It is hard to see in the news today but I see green shoots of cooperation developing among very diverse groups.
Let’s summarize where we are. As we have...
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