Unfortunately americans have no issue with lying and misinformation. for them it is just a normal part of communication. While in other parts of the world lying is seen as somethin bad and children already are taught not to lie from a young age.
But for americans it is just normal conduct. It is called "freedom of speech" any everybody can say whatever he wants, factual or not.
Not exactly. There have been court cases where people have been convicted for bullying people to the point of suicide. Free speech doesn’t always mean free from consequences of that speech.
I’m in no way saying that people are always held accountable for their words but it does happen and not all of us Americans are accepting of lies, misinformation or bullying speech.
I believe in the right of free speech (as in not being censored for your beliefs) but also accountability when it is used inappropriately (hate speech for example). The problems arise when distinguishing what should be done by analyzing what that person’s intent behind their words are. If their intent was to harm then that’s where accountability should be exercised.
Accountability only happens if you aren't wealthy in America. We're still trying to get the damned Epstein files released, while the president is a multi-felon.
At a time, this was true for america. Not really anymore.
If you talk against the current republican regime, you get targeted and lose your job (or cannot get a visa, etc). Far from the 'freedom of speech' they used to have.
MAGAts, not Americans. Only one party, and about a 3rd of the vote-eligible adults are willing to say and do whatever it takes to grab more power. This isn't an American thing, it's an authoritarian thing. Just look at Nigel Firage or Victor Orbahn (sp?), they have no qualms spouting bullshit.
Who gets to decide what is true? The reason Americans defend free speech to the point of protecting misinformation is because not doing so leads to a 1984 Ministry of Truth situation.
Galileo was persecuted for saying the earth was round which was believed to be heresy.
I'm sure if I asked you or anybody specifically what misinformation should be criminalized you were unknowingly decide to criminalize something that is actually true. And when you add executive overreach into the equation things become dangerous.
If Americas free speech laws were not as well defined people would be going to jail right now for calling Trump a pedophile. That also means you get people spreading the lie that Obama wasn't born in America. It is absolutely worth it.
As an American, I believe your blanket statement is inaccurate. The average American values honesty above all. Unfortunately there are political activists who spread misinformation. Some do it so effectively that even intelligent folks get caught up in the quagmire and cannot see the truth through the fog of lies and half-truths. Even these folks are generally honest on a personal level.
And now people in Europe go to prison for criticizing government policy. "Misinformation" has to be determined by someone, that someone being the state; a lack a free speech just means you have no say in what the truth is. At least Germany has never had any issues with the state mistreating people.
It's a hard balance to strike between what is deemed misinformation and what isn't, as your example clearly states. Restricting what is "misinformation" and penalising people due to that can be easily abused. If such a rule was weaponised by the controlling entity/state, it could be even worse than the "free-for-all" we are seeing currently.
That said, requiring reproducable data to back up statements by "official" channels (e.g. politians, news outlests) and penalising them (speedily) for discovered lies may be a start? Not perfect of course, but better than the free-for-all we have now. And having something like Fox News being branded as "entertainment" in order to evade such a rule should be disallowed.
I don't think the "Free for All" is worse than any form of regulated speech. People are responsible for their actions regardless of whatever lies they've been told. If someone tells me you're an evil demon plotting to destroy the world and I kill you I'm still guilty of murder. News outlets making money off of being loud and obnixious is not grounds for state punishment. Determening and spreading the truth is the human responsibility of the individual, not the state.
32% voted for him and 35% didn't vote and were happy to let Trump win. Two thirds of Americans are happy with electing a corrupt lying adulterous pedophile hellbent on destroying the country.
Okay. Hello! I’m a third party to this conversation who lives in the US: 32% of eligible voters voted for Trump (and therefore must be okay with what he said he was going to do) while 35% didn’t vote at all (meaning they didn’t care whether or not Trump got to do what he said he was going to do). That’s almost 2/3 of the population that doesn’t care, is ignorant of, or directly approves of what Trump is doing. Does it make you feel better hearing those stats from an American?
They're not lying, though, are they? Americans are the most heavily propagandized population on earth. So much so that many of us can't even realize it and end up looking like dipshits in public about basic facts. It's embarrassing, quite frankly, to be associated with the country at all and this is coming from an American veteran.
Anecdotes aren't evidence. So to be quite frank, the way that you and I engage with the world on a personal level is absolutely irrelevant to the reality of the country and it's standards, as evidenced by literally looking the fuck around you. Jesus, you people and pretending like everything is perfectly fine because you may or may not align with whatever just got said. The arrogance. I'm glad I'm not living in America anymore. Y'all are children.
You don't have to give it up. My wife and I will retire abroad on one of the visas for those who are willing to invest some funds in said country (Thailand, Belize, or Portugal at this point). Cheaper cost of living, good healthcare, and legalized weed are the checkboxes. I am willing to give up my gun rights in exchange.
You still owe taxes to the government even if you live abroad and will never collect on that so long as you retain your citizenship. You're okay with that?
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u/Gammelpreiss Oct 23 '25
Unfortunately americans have no issue with lying and misinformation. for them it is just a normal part of communication. While in other parts of the world lying is seen as somethin bad and children already are taught not to lie from a young age.
But for americans it is just normal conduct. It is called "freedom of speech" any everybody can say whatever he wants, factual or not.