See, I think everything you’ve said there actually says yes. Without free speech, there’s only one opinion, and that’s the opinion of who’s in power. You say otherwise, you disappear, so, people stop saying otherwise.
You might have thoughts, but you aren’t saying them, and since nobody else is, there can be no us vs them because nobody knows who’s on what team.
I want to clarify that I don’t think that’s a good thing. Division is not a weakness of democracy, it’s a strength.
I"d argue along that division in a democracy only is a strength if there’s enough division to warrant coalition. Without enough division it can become an us versus them game with neither side willing to find common ground.
See, I think everything you’ve said there actually says yes. Without free speech, there’s only one opinion, and that’s the opinion of who’s in power. You say otherwise, you disappear, so, people stop saying otherwise.
You might have thoughts, but you aren’t saying them, and since nobody else is, there can be no us vs them because nobody knows who’s on what team.
I want to clarify that I don’t think that’s a good thing. Division is not a weakness of democracy, it’s a strength.
I"d argue along that division in a democracy only is a strength if there’s enough division to warrant coalition. Without enough division it can become an us versus them game with neither side willing to find common ground.