Obvious as it may sound, people with authoritarian beliefs hiding behind free speech actually consider it as a weakness akin empathy. It allows losers like them to amplify their reach despite not being in power. They abandon their “free speech absolutist” postures the moment they think they are in power.
like I said; I have watched the body of someone I loved disintegrate with their brain still at least partially functional in one of the most horrible ways a person can die. I think a lot of being precious about this shit comes from not having actually been exposed to it, and relying on your imagination.
like, PTSD from actual experiences is real, but outside of burned-in combat PTSD where your survival instincts and/or training are looped in, it’s never as simple as you would think.