This board’s job is to have an opinion. We regularly manage to anger a good chunk of the folks who read our page no matter what position we take on the issue of the day.

Recently, a rankled reader wrote in suggesting we all jump off a bridge over our take on the Trump-Johnson-Pritzker standoff on crime and federal intervention. Given the growing chill in the air, we politely declined.

Point is, if you have an opinion and you share it, someone out there will disagree with you. That shouldn’t dissuade you — it’s perfectly normal. And it shouldn’t deter you from engaging with people who hold wildly different views. Often, we learn from the folks whose positions differ from our own; either they persuade us or they help us refine our opinion. That’s a beautiful thing, and one of the surest paths to knowledge and wisdom.

The freedom to participate in this dialogue is one of the things that make our country special. One of the greatest things about being an American is that we have the First Amendment, giving us the right to express ourselves freely and openly.

Does anyone understand how this is supposed to work anymore? We’re worried the answer might be no. Alternatively, we’re worried the answer might be … Americans’ support for the First Amendment is dying out.  

The problem is, a growing chunk of the population no longer seems to grasp why free speech matters. A new poll on Americans’ sentiments on this subject offers insight into these concerns. The Argument, a new publication that aims to make the “case for liberalism,” asked a group of registered voters across the country whether polarizing figures such as Benjamin Netanyahu or Vladimir Putin, as well as other speakers who hold polarizing views, should be allowed to give a speech on college campuses.

What they found is that voters across the spectrum would choose to stifle opinions with which they disagree. 

Here are a couple of the takeaways: Over half of those polled who voted for Kamala Harris in 2024 would oppose Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu giving a talk, while nearly 70% of people who voted for President Donald Trump in 2024 would oppose a Palestinian activist who calls for the abolition of Israel.

The divide goes beyond Israel and Palestine, with similar partisan revulsion for transgender rights activists and speakers who oppose same-sex marriage. 

Looks to us like too few of us consistently support free speech — unless it’s speech we like.

And that’s just not how this American experiment is supposed to work. As the old saying goes, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” 

Shying away from civil discourse on all manner of issues is reducing the quality of our rhetoric. We think we know what “the other side” thinks, but most of us have never bothered listening or trying to understand, instead choosing the comfort of ignorance and assumption. And you know what they say when you assume. 

Freedom of speech is under threat in many parts of the world. Fellow newsman and business owner Jimmy Lai of Hong Kong has been jailed for about five years for his unyielding support for free expression in the face of the Chinese Communist Party’s oppressive control. Even in the West, freedom of speech is on the decline. A British comedian was arrested Monday after posting content on X that authorities considered anti-trans, and others are frequently questioned or arrested for sharing unwelcome opinions on social media and elsewhere under that country’s speech rules, which seem to blur the line between legitimate expression and explicit threats.  

There’s a big difference between offensive speech and real threats of violence and harm. The latter should be ferreted out and punished. The former, while repugnant, must not.

Without the First Amendment, this country would change — dramatically, and for the worse. Those who weaponize speech laws to silence dissent forget that one day, the same might be done to them.

If you let people talk, odds are you’ll learn something new or develop a more nuanced position. When you let bigots and charlatans speak, they reveal themselves and their arguments as flawed and wrong. 

Free speech isn’t just about talking, it’s about listening too. In a time when governments the world over are flirting with — or embracing — outright censorship, we need to embrace and reinforce America’s great differentiator, which is the ultimate protector of our civil liberties.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/07/free-speech-uk-china-lai-argument/