Contempt is the hidden threat to free speech

Free speech is a cause promoted and defended by many groups and from many perspectives. But there is one threat to free speech that is getting overlooked in our angry society — the contempt that surrounds us so much we can hardly see it anymore.

Contempt suppresses speech, and the effects ripple in all directions. When we face contempt for expressing our views, we’re less likely to say what we think. When we can’t say what we think, we can’t talk to each other. When we can’t talk to each other, we can’t solve our problems together. And the frustration of living with problems we can’t solve ends up pushing us into chaos.

These are the costs of inhibiting free speech, and many of us have some responsibility for them — because so many of us fall into contempt at times. We want the people wh