How America Became a Nation of "Free Speech Hypocrites"
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
In this episode of Plain English, host Derek Thompson speaks with Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), about the deteriorating state of free speech in America. The conversation explores how both the Biden and Trump administrations have violated First Amendment principles, with Trump's team openly threatening broadcasters, encouraging citizens to report colleagues for speech, and firing employees for social media posts. (05:30) Lukianoff argues that Trump's administration has adopted many of the illiberal tactics previously used by the campus left, creating a dangerous precedent where political opponents use state power to silence dissent.
- Main themes include the bipartisan erosion of free speech norms, the influence of campus culture on broader American politics, and the challenge of maintaining First Amendment principles in a polarized environment
Speakers
Derek Thompson
Derek Thompson is a staff writer at The Atlantic and host of Plain English podcast. He covers economics, technology, and culture, with a particular focus on how emerging trends shape American society and politics.
Greg Lukianoff
Greg Lukianoff is the president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), a 26-year-old organization dedicated to defending free speech and academic freedom. A First Amendment law specialist and former ACLU attorney, Lukianoff has spent over two decades fighting campus censorship and expanding FIRE's mission to defend free speech nationally both on and off campus as of 2022.
Key Takeaways
Free Speech Violations Are Now Bipartisan
Both political parties have abandoned consistent free speech principles when in power. (08:03) Lukianoff explains that while Trump's administration has openly threatened broadcasters and encouraged citizen reporting of colleagues, the Biden administration also crossed lines through jawboning social media companies to remove COVID misinformation. The key insight is that each party justifies censorship when their opponents are in power, creating a dangerous cycle where First Amendment protections erode regardless of who holds office. This bipartisan hypocrisy suggests the problem isn't ideological but structural - both sides prioritize political victory over constitutional principles.
Campus Culture Has Infected Mainstream Politics
The illiberal tactics now seen in government originated on college campuses decades ago. (44:07) With 35% of Americans now holding college degrees, compared to just 3% a century ago, campus ideologies inevitably spread to the broader population. Lukianoff traces how speech codes, cancel culture, and punitive approaches to disagreement developed in universities and migrated through the K-12 education system and into corporate and political environments. This represents a fundamental shift from viewing disagreement as healthy debate to treating it as harm requiring institutional intervention.
The Executive Branch Has Accumulated Dangerous Power
Both administrations have demonstrated that the executive branch now wields excessive power to coerce speech. (33:46) From the Biden administration's pressure on social media companies to the Trump administration's threats against broadcasters, the presidency has tools to indirectly censor speech that would be unconstitutional if done directly. This concentration of power violates republican principles that no single branch should have such influence over public discourse. The solution requires structural reforms to limit executive overreach, not just hoping for better leadership.
Group Polarization Destroys Free Speech Norms
Extreme political polarization makes Americans view free speech as a luxury they can't afford to give opponents. (16:08) Lukianoff references research showing that party affiliation now generates more hostility than racial or religious differences - people are more upset about their children marrying across party lines than across racial lines. This tribal mindset transforms political disagreement into existential warfare where protecting opponents' speech feels like surrendering to enemies. Breaking this cycle requires recognizing that free speech protections serve everyone's long-term interests, even when they temporarily benefit political opponents.
Free Speech Requires Intellectual Humility
The most powerful argument for free speech isn't marketplace efficiency but epistemic humility about human knowledge. (13:12) Lukianoff argues that free speech systems recognize our limitations and biases, creating decentralized truth-seeking rather than centralized authority. This "anarchical" approach prevents any person or group from claiming final authority over truth. The alternative - enlightened censorship by preferred authorities - inevitably fails because those same powers will eventually be wielded by political opponents. Sustaining free speech requires accepting that we might be wrong and that our enemies might sometimes be right.
Statistics & Facts
- Approximately 35% of Americans now have a bachelor's degree, compared to just 3% a century ago, which Lukianoff argues explains why campus ideologies now significantly influence mainstream politics. (43:28)
- In FIRE's latest campus free speech ranking, about one-third of students across the political spectrum now say violence can be acceptable in rare cases to shut down speakers, with right-wing students catching up to left-wing students in accepting violence. (19:36)
- Over 50% of students now believe that controversial speakers should not be invited to campus in the first place, indicating growing intolerance for diverse viewpoints in academic settings. (20:07)
