I always think back to that social media meme post on freedom of discussion.
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I was thinking of the “free exchange of ideas” last night. You know, it’s not like a market, it’s like a potluck. Everyone brings their own ideas and you sample others and some are familiar with a twist, some are interesting but not to your taste, some are bad, some are lifechanging. You can get into a discussion about recipes or technique, or what have you as people talk about the good.
If someone brings mashed potatoes, you can debate the appropriateness for a potluck: is it too bland? Will it get cold on the table? Do potatoes make up too much of our diet?
But if someone puts a steaming platter of dog **** on the table, we’re not going to debate it. And when we tell them to take it off the table, it’s not because we are afraid of eating their dog **** or that we think it’s going to revolutionize lunch but we don’t want to allow that to happen.
We tell them to get it off the table because there is no debate to be had. It’ dog ****. It’s not an open question, it’s not a matter of palettes or picky eaters.
That’s why we don’t engage with neo-nazis and white supremacists, and it’s why we don’t (or shouldn’t) let them come to the potluck."