The edgelord case against free speech
The core of being an edgelord is poking and prodding the edges of acceptable behavior. At every given point in history there are things that are simply not said, and edgelords are drawn to these things like venture capitalists to dodgy blockchain startups. If there is a taboo, aversion or even a mild awkwardness, there will inevitably be an edgelord there to push the boundary. They will say the N-word, whatever that word might be at that particular time and place. Edgelords are relentlessly agnostic and pragmatic in their craft — they will hone in on whatever is the socially inappropriate thing to say, and say it with both alacrity and pride.
Make no mistake. Being an edgelord is a skill set and craft in its own right. Most people do not see these areas of socially inappropriate awkwardness as possible rhetorical arenas. They identify too much with the social order, and simply avoid making (for instance) unwarranted remarks on the sexual proclivities or preferences of other people. It simply is not done. Which only serves to highlight where these discursive no-go zones are, and makes locating them that much more interesting. The first step in pushing boundaries is finding out what they are, and that takes a non-trivial amount of out of the box thinking. With practice, it is possible to become quite good at it. The title of lord is not given — it is earned.
By now, you have probably read far enough to wonder when this text will get to the exciting part. The part where edgelords make a case against free speech. One might think they’d be all in favor of free expression, seeing as their defining characteristic is saying the forbidden and appropriating the inappropriate.
Little do they know that their obsession with edges in itself constitutes a great argument in favor of limiting free speech. Such limitations would impose brand new edges to lord over and boundaries to transcend. Indeed, these limitations would serve as a beacon of relevance, a glorious guiding light to bask in, a call to action louder than any previously blared into the aether. Suddenly, edgelords would find themselves in a social situation where all their finely honed skills would be just what the doctor ordered — a well-disciplined, sophisticated response to the new arbitrary constraints imposed by the powers that be. The time for subversion has come.
Unfortunately, their usefulness in such situations rather accentuates their destructive uselessness under freer circumstances. There are no perceivable benefits to posting ever more graphic pornography, ever more gruesome gory pictures, or ever more racist everything. Pushing those boundaries further does not lead to new insight, new freedoms or even better quality shitposts. It only leads to a quantitative increase of the same old same old. For all their finely honed craftsmanship in the pursuit of social awks, their efforts lead only to the inevitable conclusion that nothing matters and everything is meaningless. The consequence of transgressing every boundary in existence should probably be something slightly grander than the icy indifference of a universe that stopped caring a long time ago.
In light of this, it only makes sense to impose new boundaries and new edges. If only to have something to push up against in order to tear down.
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