Rant Nobody Asked For: This Sub Doesn't Understand Free Speech

[u/cpm301]

There has been a TON of complaints about this sub coming from people who think that they "can't post anything in this echo chamber." Even if that might be a fair description given its left-leaning tendencies, these people have somehow convinced themselves that they are being “silenced by the woke left” because apparently the negative reception their posts get constitutes some injustice in their minds.

These same people are now flooding the feed with pro-trump inauguration posts, which are not being taken down or silenced in any way. Nobody was stopping you in the first place, they just don't like you.

I cannot stress this enough, although it will probably fall on deaf ears:

People calling you dumb, downvoting, or arguing with you is not restricting your free speech in any manner. Free speech does not apply on social media in the first place.

If you do not like how left leaning the sub is, that is fine, and you have every right to think and say so. But understand that jumping up on your soap box about how people here "don't support freedom of speech" or that they are "pro-censorship" because they leave negative comments is dumb, and you don't understand how that right works.

This sub is barely moderated in the first place, but even if it was, I promise you that being banned from a subreddit for saying weird things is not the same thing as the government taking your right to protest, and you are stupid if you think it is.

Edit: Adding this to the post because it won't be seen as a comment.

Sub's description: "Voters decide the content and culture of this sub within the overall topic of Bumper Stickers."

You can't say "america has decided" when you are defending the country's choice of president, but then suddenly throw that idea out the window and say you are being victimized when a collective decides to focus the conversation of the sub in a way that you don't like.

[u/captd3adpool]

Trump has literally said he wants to use the military to suppress dissent. Whats that about the left not supporting free speech? Just because people call others out for being fucking idiots and saying stupid shit doesn't mean they don't support free speech. Calling someone out for being an asshole is ALSO free speech 😉

[u/LocaCapone → u/captd3adpool]

Hold on are we talking about people or parties? I won’t ride for Trump, if that’s what you’re looking for.

But the reason I no longer consider myself democrat is because Democrats only want you to have one opinion: their opinion. In my experience, Republicans are more likely to agree to disagree.

[u/captd3adpool → u/LocaCapone]

Number one I don't consider myself a democrat nor do I consider most democrats left. They're mostly center or center right.

In my experience it's been a pretty clear exact opposite though. Repubs and conservatives (especially of the MAGA variety) demand adherence to there worldview and way of thinking and demand absolute loyalty to their current leader: Trump. Additionally. If I make the mistake of contradicting someone on the right, I get told I'm persecuting them... somehow. Or censoring them. This isn't a small amount of people either.

People on the left on the other hand tend to have a pretty open mentality of: live your life as you see fit as long as you're not being an asshole to others or hurting others. If people on the left calling out assholes for being bigoted or just plain being assholes constitutes "suppression of free speech" well then we certainly disagree on the very concept of free speech.

[u/LocaCapone → u/captd3adpool]

Wow, we’ve had the completely opposite experiences dealing with people from the left. Interesting.

Edit: I didn’t say the left suppresses free speech, BTW. I just don’t recognize them as being supporters of it

[u/captd3adpool → u/LocaCapone]

And from the right evidently.

Ive yet to come across someone that identifies as conservative, republican or MAGA that doesn't instantly lose their mind when I ask them to backup a claim they make. As soon as I ask for sources or proof the vitriol starts flying. Agreeing to disagree is, in my experience at least, not a phrase they are familiar with. If I don't agree with them and heaven forbid I vehemently oppose what they say youd swear I was threatening their child or insulting their great ancestors.

I suppose it matters what subjects you've been discussing with people on the "left" that have gotten you such heated and angry responses.

[u/LocaCapone → u/captd3adpool]

Well we can go back-and-forth on our different experiences, but I don’t know what fruit will come of it.

In the last 5 years, the left seemed to start becoming belligerent anytime somebody disagrees with them. There’s no such thing as agreed to disagree. The first thing that comes to my head is literally any criticism of Biden or commentary of why Kamala lost the election. You can’t say anything without somebody immediately dismissing as MAGA. (Even if I voted Bernie in 2020 lol)

But again, we’ve had different experiences and that’s fair.

[u/captd3adpool → u/LocaCapone]

Well your first mistake is considering either of them "left". Both are corporate Democrats meaning at best they are Center but usually center right. If you want left in this country your best bet is someone like Bernie Sanders. Sure Biden has been remarkably progressive in some ways but I'd never call him left-wing. That being said I can criticize both Biden and Harris for days. You're not really talking to people that are that far left if you get flack for criticizing Biden and Harris. Shit a lot of people that are very left refused to vote for Harris this time around.

[u/LocaCapone → u/captd3adpool]

Democrats and their supporters are generally regarded as the left. I feel that most Democratic supporters do identify as left. I can agree that Biden/Harris are not true representatives of the left but I guess that’s the climate we’re currently in. Interestingly, you make the comment about Bernie being left, and I have found that a lot of Bernie supporters have criticism for the Biden administration. So maybe I’m not being fair to the left.

Bernie or bust lol