I wrote about the free speech advocates who spent the last decade pearl clutching about the campus left while (intentionally or unintentionally) manufacturing consent for the right-wing assault on free expression.
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They were always lying. They called it "an attack on free speech" for people to use free speech to stand up to conservatives or grade papers by conservatives for having bad logic.
They're starting with this so they can start punishing the rest of us for criticizing and protesting Trump and his administration. They're already starting with people trying to enter the country.
Yep. Fascists co-opting the language of what they oppose (ie free speech) is a predictable tactic, but credulous, compliant liberals let conservatives achieve their agenda at breakneck speed using nothing but bad faith & straw men. This teamwork is intentional & necessary to the progress of fascism.
America is on the human rights watch list. Just a little PSA for you. Also note that democracy watch is planning on listing america as an authoritarian government in 2026, not a democracy. Just let that simmer.
Yeah, but the Ivy Leagues are where the Important People do things, so the Important Journalists have to pay attention. No need to pay attention to Arkansas Republicans trying to look in children’s pants.
There are so many people who should have known better who failed to see these free speech advocates for who they were: authoritarians looking to take advantage of the paradox of tolerance to undo tolerance.
This was always the plan. I had a front-row seat for the prototype of how the Right would manufacture this kind of crisis and scandal on other campuses.
The little nav&share bar on mobile hides the "powered by beehiiv" at the bottom of the page. Added a little extra friction on the "wait, this isn't substack, right?" check. Might be worth mentioning to them as *not substack* is something some people check for.
i think it’s pretty safe to say that it’s more complex than “they were all lying.” some obviously were. but orgs like FIRE have plenty of people who sincerely believe in free speech. we’re seeing a sorting between the bad faith operators, the good faith, and those too dumb to keep playing.
Ya read my mind again, @notalawyer.bsky.social
Lately I've been looking to see what Columbia (!) University linguist John McWhorter has been up to. I'm not privy to his NYT newsletter, but only thing I see online otherwise since January is about how DEI might "change" under Trump!
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https://youtu.be/vIA0kUSxHjI?si=_uPgOeYRpOrW41LH
It was always about suppression.
https://limotsnewsletter.com/2025/03/24/the-russian-thought-invasion-of-usa/
Except that people are getting disappeared for writing things the regime doesn't like, I guess.
Aaaand your argument has just become rendered moot about phantoms that will never appear, only phantoms to keep right-wing voters fearful.
Right out of the puritan playbook. If politics won't work, populism will.
https://www.vox.com/2015/11/11/9715194/college-speech-censorship
https://stringinamaze.net/subscribe
If you work at an think-tank and you know some of your colleagues are full of shit, staying there is a choice.
Lately I've been looking to see what Columbia (!) University linguist John McWhorter has been up to. I'm not privy to his NYT newsletter, but only thing I see online otherwise since January is about how DEI might "change" under Trump!
Fuck that guy!