I blame the concept of “free speech at any cost” for the destruction of the US.
Free speech should NOT include commercial, political, or racial speech, but because the US fetishizes a 250 year old document, we get bullshit like Citizens United and the NRA.
Because we all subscribe to liberal free-thinking principles dreamed up before humans even knew of things like germs or electricity, shit speech that shouldn’t be aired in a public setting is given legitimacy. Imagine how much different our political culture would be if politicians had to have their ads vetted for truth before airing and were limited in time they could advertise versus campaigning, or if the neo-nazis in power now had their hateful bullshit muted and deleted automatically when they called for race riots instead of being able to reach impressionable minds with their garbage.
Hell, imagine our healthcare system if every other ad wasn’t for some new miracle pill that costs insurance companies thousands but Joe Schmo is convinced will fix his lumbago because he’s seen 40 ads for it on TV this week and demands it of his doctor.
Just note, I don’t think people should be put in jail for speech (most of the time - Nazis deserve the same treatment Manning got), but I firmly believe our country is far worse off with these antiquated bills of rights and those justices who believe it’s second only to the Bible in primacy.
Oh, and the Internet for allowing people to permanently shut off their critical thinking lobe.
