How about this for a rule:

[xiphias]

If you display a Confederate flag, you're not allowed to call someone else un-American.

Comments

[felis-sidus.livejournal.com]

What about the First Amendment?

On the other hand, if we banned all statements inconsistent with one's own behavior, we'd have a resounding silence during many political campaigns, so maybe it's worth considering.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

"Rule" does not equal "law". I forbid, in my classroom, many forms of expression that ought to be protected from governmental regulation.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

The legal right to be obnoxious or hypocritical is not the same as a moral justification for obnoxiousness or an exemption from hypocrisy.

[temima.livejournal.com]

Another way to say it, "You have the right to say stupid things, and I have the right to tell you why what you're saying is stupid."

Now if I only could practice that in my workplace.