Radicalized by Basic Decency

Spend a couple of hours learning about Q-Anon, and you might find yourself radicalized by basic decency. Q-Anon stands in direct opposition to everything I was taught—by my parents, my education, and my life experience—about how words should be used.

https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/#amendment-1

Throughout my life, I was taught that freedom of speech comes with responsibility—or at the very least, consequences. As a writer, I’m conscientious about verifying information. Intentionally misleading people, defaming someone, lying, or inciting violence has never been part of what I understood as free speech. That was considered irresponsible.

Since the rise of the Internet, one thing has become clear: misinformation is everywhere. We’ve also seen that people aren’t always kind—and sometimes they’ll say anything, even something harmful or blatantly false, just to get attention.

So, learning more about Q-Anon and its followers hasn’t just been disturbing—it’s made me think more deeply about the idea of free speech.

My question: How do you define free speech?