The resulting outcome of the 2016 Presidential election, however contested, sparked a dynamic shift within the American psyche. Whether you were a supporter of President Trump, Former Secretary Clinton, Senator Sanders, or any of the other candidates throughout the entire process, you can’t deny that the rhetoric of that election is one that shall be examined for the foreseeable future. Why? Because as the swan-song of the inclusive, neutral and often times moralistic Obama-era administration slowly faded within our ears, we were introduced to a new, far more threatening tune within the orchestra that is our standard political decorum. A chord that seduced that which we know to be our freedom of speech, and begs to question how far that freedom really goes.

The freedom of speech, as well as all the others provided to us by the U.S. Constitution, is what makes us uniquely amazing as a country. We can go on any type of media provided to us nowadays, whether it be TV, the internet, radio, print, etc., and say almost anything we wish to say with little-to-no legal ramifications as long as we don’t directly, and explicitly, threaten someone’s life. Even then, you could make an argument against your case. However, as stated so eloquently by Uncle Ben in Marvel’s Spiderman, “with great power comes great responsibility,” and our power of the freedom of speech is one we consistently abuse time and time again.

To the more rugged nationalist amongst us – yes, under the guidelines of the Constitution and in regards to a direct definition of “freedom of speech,” you do, in fact, have the right to say whatever you wish. However, coming from a soft-hearted, liberal millennial like myself, that right does not in fact protect your heated, often times politicized, hate speech.

The freedom of speech, as outlined in the Constitution, is established to protect our opinions and ideas from government retaliation and intervention. Over the years, it has silently evolved into our sacred ability to be ourselves and be those individuals with whom the mosaic of the American identity is forged. But to use it in order to spit hate and demean your fellow Americans, or even humans in general, is a blatant disrespect and irresponsible execution of such a freedom.

Hate speech is not free speech, and for anyone to say such is a poor example of what we’ve allowed ourselves to become as a nation.

Hate speech is disrespectful. Hate speech is immature. Hate speech is cowardly. It is simply one person’s inability to adequately express the values which they hold most true to themselves. Spreading such does neither a service to the speaker nor to the progression of a unified society.

Free speech, on the other hand, is respectful. Free speech is honorable, well-informed and peaceful. I’m not saying that we need to sway how we speak in order to appease to the sensitivities of others, but there is such a way to explain our ideas and opinions without crushing those of another.

Free speech is only free speech when it does not impede on another’s ability to speak their truths without the fear of harm, segregation and belittlement.

Call the idea sensitive, call it being naïve or ignorant to the harshness of reality, but at the end of the day, the best representation of our freedom of speech can be seen in our ability to respect the freedoms of another.