Free speech

There are recent reports of people losing their jobs because of insensitive remarks made about Charlie Kirks death. This is just more cancel culture and is an afront to free speech. The first amendment gives one the right to express satisfaction and even joy over someone’s misfortune. Many colleges tried to stop Kirk from speaking and these attempts to punish people for what they say is the same thing. Private companies have the right to fire over speech but just because they can doesn’t mean they should. The standard is best explained by the French writer Voltaire who was a strong advocate of free speech. His ideas were summed up by Evelyn Beatrice Hall in her biography of Voltaire when she wrote, I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. You cannot silence me because someone may use my words to commit a violent act but there are legal restrictions. You can say that Trump is Hitler but you cannot say Trump should be killed because he is Hitler. What people infer from your remarks is not your responsibility. The best approach is to criticize people’s actions and not who they are. This is often said in churches where they say to hate the sin but not the sinner.