Kerby Anderson

David French says this happens every time he criticizes a private corporation for progressive bullying. He gets a response something like: “How do you like free markets now, Mr. Conservative? What’s your problem with free speech, Mr. Lawyer?” The problem with this response is why he wrote a column with the provocative title: “Free Speech Is Killing Free Speech.”

The thinking behind the reaction is that if you support the existence of a legal right (in this case free speech), you should support every single exercise of that right. That makes no sense. Liberals who criticize any of us concerned about the boycott of North Carolina or Chick-fil-A or whatever entity, know that you can support free speech but also at the same time disagree with the way people exercise free speech. A progressive would support the right to vote but that does not mean they are happy when someone votes for a conservative candidate.

We should support the idea of free markets. But that doesn’t mean we have to remain silent when liberal groups or homosexual activists try to boycott a state or company or shame it on Facebook because it holds to traditional views on marriage and family.

David French also acknowledges that the problem isn’t just found on the liberal side of the political spectrum. He reminds us that the so-called “alt-right” is raising trolling to an obscene art form. They bombard their “opponents with the vilest forms of constitutionally protected expression imaginable.”

He also finds it humorous that various left-wing sportswriters applaud Colin Kaepernick for making some Americans feel uncomfortable, but were silent or even cheered when ESPN fired Curt Shilling for making some people uncomfortable. These examples all seem to fit into the false mantra of “free speech for me but not for thee.”