David French’s latest newsletter/column is titled “The Anti-Woke Right Has a Lot to Answer For.” The gist of the argument is that the anti-woke right are hypocrites on free speech because Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump have pushed their agenda though legislation aimed at limiting woke speech rather than competing in the marketplace of ideas. As I’ll explain, I think French is fundamentally wrong about this.
That’s not to say he’s completely wrong in every instance. There may indeed be conservatives who are no less censorious than their opponents on the woke left. But I think French’s argument is mistaken on a more fundamental level in a way he seems rather eager to skip over and ignore. But let’s start with his argument and go from there.
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