For the life of me, I can’t understand why those who cannot comprehend the idea of free speech feel the need to bring it up. Do they not realize how badly they beclown themselves or do they just believe their audiences are too ignorant to notice? Bloomberg columnist Matthew Yglesias is the latest high-profile leftist to completely misunderstand the meaning of free speech when he took issue with a comment made by conservative podcaster Ben Shapiro.

In a post on Twitter, Shapiro called out Disney for pushing a “not-at-all-secret gay agenda” in its “Lightyear” film, which centers on Toy Story character Buzz Lightyear. He tweeted:

Disney works to push a “not-at-all-secret gay agenda” and seeks to add “queerness” to its programming, according to executive producer Latoya Raveneau. Parents should keep that in mind before deciding whether to take their kids to see “Lightyear,” which hits theaters this week.

Disney works to push a "not-at-all-secret gay agenda" and seeks to add "queerness" to its programming, according to executive producer Latoya Raveneau. Parents should keep that in mind before deciding whether to take their kids to see "Lightyear," which hits theaters this week. pic.twitter.com/9MNGlzFxCk

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 14, 2022

It was then that Yglesias decided to utterly embarrass himself in response to Shapiro’s tweet. He replied:

Conservatives have taken up the mantle of free speech when in defensive mode only to abandon it at the drop of a hat.

Conservatives have taken up the mantle of free speech when in defensive mode only to abandon it at the drop of a hat. pic.twitter.com/wHJToNv4HO

— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) June 14, 2022

Yglesias, like many of his far-leftist comrades, showed he has no idea what the concept of free speech means, which is rather depressing given that he is a member of the press and should know better. But this is an argument I see quite frequently on the airwaves and interwebs, and it mostly comes from the far left, whose members are not exactly fans of free speech in the first place.

Since so many don’t understand how free speech works, I’m happy to take a few minutes out of my day to educate them.

Disney has the right to make their films with their not-so-covert gay agenda being injected into the content. Folks like Ben Shapiro have the right to publicly criticize this decision.

The First Amendment says the government cannot interfere with one’s right to voice their views. At no point did Shapiro call for the state to compel Disney to make, or refrain from making, certain types of content. This is not a violation of the Constitution.

Moreover, Shapiro did not even go against the spirit of the First Amendment, which is that it is undesirable to silence someone simply for voicing an opposing view. His criticizing Disney does not in any way make it impossible for the company to make whatever films it wishes.

The concept of free speech means that people can make whatever statements they wish and others can praise or criticize as they see fit. The objective is freedom of expression, not freedom from criticism. Thank you for attending my TED Talk.