Conservatives are mounting an assault on free speech, argues Amanda Marcotte in Salon, November 1 2021. Look no further than former President Donald’s Trump’s social media network that is dedicated to “free speech” but forbids criticism of Trump and the site’s operation. Conservatives are asserting the right to be free of speech that attacks their beliefs. They use government power to prevent discussion of racism and its history and try to censor anti-racist fiction while in Florida preventing state professors from testifying in court about voter restriction laws. Republican state legislators have also passed laws to allow citizens to run over protesters with impunity.
Last June the Florida legislature passed laws requiring surveys of students and faculty under the threat of withdrawing funding if their political beliefs did not meet conservative standards. (Slate, June 23, 2021, by Brett Bachman)