We always hear about how we have “total freedom of speech,” but then there’s always a “but” or an exception. They trot out the old analogy: “You can’t yell fire in a crowded theater.” It’s almost laughable how often that comes up, as if that one extreme case justifies all the other limitations on speech we now face. For us in Gen X, this rings hollow. We’re the generation that learned to question everything, to get to the root of the issue because, quite frankly, we’ve been lied to on almost every topic we were taught growing up. And this idea of “freedom of speech” feels no different. The truth is, we don’t really have free speech anymore—not when everything we say can be labeled, condemned, and weaponized against us.
Gen X and The Need for Realism
We grew up with a healthy skepticism. We’ve been force-fed so many lies—about politics, society, history—that we’ve developed a sharp instinct for sniffing out the truth. And when it comes to speech, we’re not buying the surface-level narrative. As Gen Xers, we don’t just accept things at face value. We know there’s always something deeper, and in today’s world, that deeper reality is that freedom of speech is under attack. It’s not the overt, big-government attack we feared growing up, but a more subtle one: labeling, canceling, and shaming—tools used to slowly chip away at what we can say.
Labeling to Control Speech
In today’s world, it’s not just about what you say but how it’s labeled. And once the label is slapped on, it’s over. If the powers that be—whether they’re in media, government, or the cultural elite—decide that your words are offensive, harmful, or simply not in line with the “approved” narrative, they feel they have every right to shut you down. For Gen Xers, this isn’t some abstract idea. We’ve watched it happen, and we’re not naïve enough to think it stops with “hate speech” or “disinformation.” Today, they’ll silence one group, tomorrow it could be anyone.
What’s worse, it’s not just about silencing your voice. It’s about ruining your life. They de-platform you, strip away your income, and make it impossible for you to move forward, all because you said something that didn’t fit into their worldview. For a generation like ours, which values getting to the truth and cutting through the BS, this is an especially bitter pill to swallow.
Who’s Leading the Charge?
What’s surprising—and even more frustrating—is who’s at the forefront of this new speech policing. Many of those driving cancel culture and the destruction of free expression are white, college-educated women. How did this group become the gatekeepers of what’s acceptable and what’s not? For a generation like ours, who grew up pushing back against societal norms, it’s bizarre to see people who benefit from the freedoms fought for by generations past now turning around and trying to limit those same freedoms for everyone else.
Gen X knows better. We know the dangers of letting anyone, especially a small elite, decide what can and cannot be said. We saw the hypocrisy growing up, and we’re seeing it again now—only this time, it’s packaged in the language of “inclusion” and “safety.”
The New Gatekeepers and Their Double Standard
We’ve always been skeptical of gatekeepers, whether they were in government, corporations, or media. But this new group, armed with moral superiority and social media platforms, has taken the concept to a whole new level. Now, they don’t just want to silence people they disagree with; they want to erase them. They’ll cancel your job, your reputation, and your future in one swift move. For Gen X, who grew up embracing individuality and challenging the system, this feels like a complete betrayal of the values we were supposed to be fighting for.
What makes it worse is the double standard. These same people who claim to fight for free speech, diversity, and tolerance are the first ones to shut down any dissenting opinions. As Gen Xers, we know better than to fall for this. We’ve been through too many lies and false promises to think that these people really care about free speech. What they care about is control—and we’re not having it.
Freedom with Stipulations? Not for Gen X
Our generation grew up with a firm understanding of what freedom means. It doesn’t mean freedom “except” for this or “but” for that. It means the freedom to speak your mind, make mistakes, and live with the consequences. Yet, today, we’re constantly being told that freedom comes with stipulations. “Sure, you have free speech,” they say, “but only if you stay within these lines.”
For us, that’s not freedom at all. It’s just another lie we’ve been sold, like so many others. And it’s our job as Gen Xers to push back. We’re the ones who know that real freedom means taking risks. It means questioning authority and challenging the labels they try to put on us. Because we’ve seen what happens when you don’t—freedom disappears, and the lie becomes the new reality.
The Real Threat to Free Speech
Gen X understands the game. We’ve always been able to spot when we’re being played. And right now, the biggest threat to free speech isn’t coming from the places we were taught to fear. It’s coming from a culture that labels and cancels anyone who dares to speak out of turn. We see it for what it is: a slow erosion of our rights under the guise of progress.
But here’s the thing: free speech isn’t something that can be negotiated or compromised. It’s all or nothing. And as the generation that’s spent its life cutting through the lies, it’s up to us to make sure that freedom—real freedom—doesn’t disappear entirely. Because if we don’t, the next generation won’t even know what they’ve lost.