Nothing is more confounding these days than the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech. More so than any other democracy, America is highly permissive on free speech, and has no ban on hate speech — the burning of the American flag, the burning of crosses, and the marching of neo-Nazis are constitutionally protected speech. And yet, social media, college campuses, and the cultural phenomenon of cancel culture are often intolerant of viewpoints that don’t abide by the priorities of the times, resulting in moral banishment and self-censorship.
Is speech still free, or does it now come with considerable costs?
Join us for a lively and informative conversation about these questions and more, with four free speech experts: First Amendment icon Floyd Abrams; former President of the ACLU, Nadine Strossen; Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, Bret Stephens; and law professor and FOLCS creative director, Thane Rosenbaum.