The Left Still Doesn’t Get the First Amendment - and They Never Will

You’d think by now even the wokest Twitter/X activist would have at least Googled the First Amendment. Spoiler: It doesn’t mean what they think it does. Yet every time some social media influencer gets booted from a job for saying something dumb, the cries of “But muh free speech!” start echoing through the digital void.

We are witnessing the most brazen attack on free speech in modern American history. Elon, Trump, and MAGA said they were free speech warriors. It’s the exact opposite.
— Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) September 17, 2025

Let’s get this out of the way, again. The First Amendment protects you from the government censoring your speech. Period. Full stop. It does not mean your boss has to clap like a seal while you trash the company online. It does not mean your employer has to smile and nod while you call customers racists. It does not mean your coworkers have to tolerate your TikTok rant about how capitalism is evil while you cash their checks.

If you’re screaming, “I have freedom of speech!” as HR escorts you out the door, congratulations, you just learned how America actually works.

Jimmy Kimmel May Have Violated the Law (i.e., an FCC Regulation)

The left wants freedom without consequences, which is basically their entire political brand. They want to say whatever they want, whenever they want, and then cry foul when someone reminds them that actions have consequences. Hate your company? Fine. Post it online. But don’t be shocked when your company hates you right back and hands you a pink slip. That’s not tyranny. That’s accountability.

Here’s the reality check: You can say anything you want. You can tell your boss to pound sand, you can tweet that your CEO is a fascist, you can scream into the void about how America is a “hellscape.” You’re free to do all of that. But your employer is also free to say, “Great, you’re fired.” That’s not a First Amendment violation. That’s capitalism with teeth.

The left’s confusion isn’t accidental; it’s useful. They weaponize the First Amendment like they weaponize every institution they don’t understand. “Cancel culture isn’t real,” they’ll say, right before they try to get you canceled for liking the wrong post. Then, when one of their own gets caught in the same trap, suddenly they’re quoting the Constitution like it’s their Get Out of Jail Free card.

Newsflash: Quoting the Constitution doesn’t mean you understand it. And in this case, it won’t save your job.

The Founders didn’t write the Bill of Rights so Karen from HR can’t tell you to knock it off. They wrote it so the government can’t throw you in jail for criticizing Joe Biden’s dementia, or Donald Trump’s hair. Private companies aren’t the government. That’s the whole point. If you can’t tell the difference, maybe civics class shouldn’t have been replaced with “gender theory and feelings.”

But here’s the kicker: The left doesn’t actually care about free speech at all. They only trot it out when one of their own gets burned. The second a conservative says something they don’t like, suddenly it’s, “Fire him! Ban him! Ruin his life!” So don’t buy the act. They’re not defenders of free expression. They’re opportunists. They want a one-way street where their speech is sacred and yours is expendable.

Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. Free speech means you’re allowed to talk. It doesn’t mean people have to listen. It doesn’t mean you keep your job. And it definitely doesn’t mean your employer has to tank their reputation to protect your right to be an idiot. So the next time you see some self-proclaimed activist crying about how their “free speech rights” were violated because Starbucks wouldn’t let them wear a “Death to America” pin while serving lattes, remember this: The First Amendment is not your shield from stupidity. It’s your shield from government tyranny. Everything else is just life slapping you with consequences.

Grow up. Read the Constitution. And maybe, just maybe, learn the difference between your rights and your job description.

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