Free Speech

I just got back from a discussion on free speech with my philosophy group. I quite enjoyed it although in the beginning I felt my free speech was being restricted because I was struggling to get a word in. It is tricky to know when to start speaking because you run the risk of either cutting someone off or waiting too long and losing your turn because someone else started talking. But, I finally managed to get a word in. There were many interesting points made but I can't remember any of them apart from the ones I made. My main point was that if one believed in the right to free speech then one must necessarily believe in the right of other people to get offended and say that they are offended. That is an element of free speech. I said that mainly in response to white men moaning about political correctness and how that was restricting their free speech. I went on to say that free speech also gives people the  right to say that you shouldn't have a right to speak on a particular topic because they find your views unacceptable. If in a group, one person says that, it won't make a difference, but if many people say that they can shut the speaker down. Which is why free speech cannot be dissociated from questions of power, and the speech of some people is freer than others. Free speech also has different consequences depending on how much power you wield.
There were interesting points raised by other people but I can't for the life of me remember even one. Maybe they will come to me in the coming days.
I like the discussions, although I do think they are male-dominated. Women never seem to have a problem listening. But the people are all reasonably intelligent, open-minded and welcoming. A lot of people also speak from personal experience which is important as otherwise philosophical discussions can either get too abstract or logical, in which case the arguments are blindingly obvious. I also like that I can relate with people without any expectations that the interaction will lead to friendship. It is so liberating to be able to appreciate people in the moment.