For those who use 'Freedom of Speech' as an excuse for spewing hatred: free speech does not mean speech without consequence. If I slander or libel someone, yell "Fire" in a theater when there isn't one, urge the violent overthrow of the government, or break any other laws set in place to protect people from being harmed or abused, there are penalties.

I hate these arguments. Yes, speech can have consequences. But the purpose of freedom of speech is to allow people to give their side, explain their beliefs and share their ideas without being silenced. The reason it is illegal to yell FIRE in a crowded theatre is because it leads to people getting trampled to death. Slander and libel are also illegal because the subject of slander or libel is often not allowed to give his or her side of the story, and is often killed because of a misunderstanding. There is a difference between giving an opinion and spreading harmful lies about another person.

As for the overthrowing of a government, yes, that is also protected speech in some countries’ constitutions. Why do you think that America has a right to bear arms? Because its fore fathers predicted that an authoritarian regime can establish itself in America and don’t want such a regime to last. In fact, this Redditor who posted this lame comment would gladly back the violent overthrow of the Russian government. To be fair, Putin does not treat his citizens fairly, but name me a politician nowadays who does? Look at the way the American system treats veterans, small time offenders, divorced fathers, police brutality victims, college students with lots of student loans that they cannot default on, and young people struggling to find jobs that pay enough to afford rent? You can argue that this is not as bad as how Russian people are treated by their government, but this kind of treatment is still terrible.

Freedom of speech covers opinions. And it does include protections not just from the government, but also social media platforms that have become the public square and control the dissemination of information.