A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.
Special 10th anniversary edition of WHAT IF?—revised and annotated with brand-new illustrations and answers to important questions you never thought to ask—coming from November 2024. Preorder here!
[[A person speaking to the reader.]]
Person: Public Service Announcehment: The *right to free speech* means the government can't arrest you for what you say.
[[Close-up on person's face.]]
Person: It doesn't mean that anyone
else
has to listen to your bullshit, - or host you while you share it.
[[Back to full figure.]]
Person: The 1st Amendment doesn't shield you from criticism or consequences.
[[Close-up.]]
Person: If you're yelled at, boycotted, have your show canceled, or get banned from an internet community, your free speech rights aren't being violated.
[[Person, holding palm upward.]]
Person: It's just that the people listening think you're an asshole,
[[A door that is ajar.]]
Person: And they're showing you the door.
{{Title text: I can't remember where I heard this, but someone once said that defending a position by citing free speech is sort of the ultimate concession; you're saying that the most compelling thing you can say for your position is that it's not literally illegal to express.}}
xkcd.com is best viewed with Netscape Navigator 4.0 or below on a Pentium 3±1 emulated in Javascript on an Apple IIGS at a screen resolution of 1024x1. Please enable your ad blockers, disable high-heat drying, and remove your device from Airplane Mode and set it to Boat Mode. For security reasons, please leave caps lock on while browsing.