Top 10 Things Wrong with Free Speech Absolutism

1. It does not account for the true scale of the effects of slander, which can be used as leverage against a person's life if applied where that slander has the power to cause the most harm

   

2. It would make copyright and trademark impossible to enforce, preventing artists and inventors from making a stable living and continuing to produce art and inventions

   

3. It would allow morally and psychologically vulnerable people to be recruited into destructive ideologies that have the potential to cause harm, some of which conflict with the idea of free speech itself

   

4. It would permit impersonation, both direct and indirect, with the latter providing even greater protection for the liar

   

5. It would allow individuals to share others' personal information, potentially leading to harm, while being protected as they are technically not the ones carrying out the harm

   

6. It would enable people to demoralize emotionally and psychologically vulnerable individuals to the point of self-harm

   

7. It would prevent the enforcement of punishments for revealing government, business, and organizational secrets, compromising security and confidentiality

   

8. It would allow disturbing behaviors, such as public nudity and the unrestricted display of graphic content, to go unchecked

   

9. It would permit discrimination of all kinds to run rampant, causing societal rifts that could ultimately destabilize the society itself

   

10. It would protect graffiti-based vandalism more than the property it defaces, allowing it to spread unchecked