John Stossel on Offensive Speech
Last week, when the NBA banned racist team owner Donald Sterling, some said: "What about free speech? Can't a guy say what he thinks anymore?" The answer: Yes, you can—but the free market may punish you. And this punishment is not "censorship," John Stossel notes; censorship is something only governments can do. Free speech does not mean that we must endure hateful speech in the public square. But almost all speech, even "hate speech," should be legal, Stossel argues.