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Yes, I Am Allowed to Say This

A study by the Pew Research Center finds that younger Americans are more likely to believe that the government should prohibit offensive speech, despite Freedom of Speech being a cornerstone of American freedoms. For instance, when it comes to offensive speech about minorities, only 12 percent of the “Silent Generation” (ages 70-87) think the government should outlaw such speech. That increases to 24 percent of Baby Boomers (ages 51-69), 27 percent of Gen-Xers (ages 35-50), and 40 percent of Millennials (ages 18-34). Protesting college students just don’t get it, says Emily Ekins, a research fellow at the Cato Institute. They “believe free speech and promoting social equality are at odds and remain unaware of free speech’s vital importance,” she says. “For some, this may have been the first time they heard that allowing free speech is not synonymous with endorsing its content.” (RC/Los Angeles Times, Detroit News) ...And they don’t see the irony in using their freedom of speech to protest freedom of speech.