Can we review what is acceptable speech on DU?

[HereSince1628]

44. ...seems there may be a need to recognize good ol' liberal empathy

Clever liberals (that "we" claim ourselves to be) embodying said empathy could frame their statements to serve communication without collateral offensiveness, and without feeling any chaffing rub of self-censorship.

The expanded appeal to the Bill of Rights to protect chauvinistic speech (that according to a jury slipped out of the envelope of acceptability) has some qualities of a smoke screen in response to being caught lacking that traditional liberal value, rather than an honest defense of freedom.

People with empathy who accidentally offend others, just apologize. Really. They typically don't get their hackles up and leap onto a legalistic molehill to crow self-serving defenses.

The freedom of speech argument seems confused, perhaps purposefully so, about a fundamental and necessary freedom of society and a selfish desire for guilt-free shamelessness.

On a liberal/progressive board it leaves the advocates of freedom of offensive speech in the awkward position of endorsing a much lower position for consideration of others feelings relative to self-gratification of fighting for the use superior protected "colorful" "funny" language.

Let's not be charlatans...speech is free but it has consequences. Umbrage is one of them. The jury agreed.