When someone makes numerous false allegations about you do you sit down and take it?
If a person comes at you with a knife do you let them exercise their freedom of movement or do you defend your body?
If this person or group has something to say, write an article and publish it.
But what they have to say, using their 'free-speech' is accusations against others under false premises.
People have a right to express their opinion, even if it's their opinion about you.
Words are not physical attacks.
It seems strange to advocate silencing someone who accuses you of promoting "free-speech".
I see your point.
Unfortunately it's not so simple, while downvoting exists it can be said that no, true free speech does not exist on this platform.
This is because the content is decided by the community and the definition of free speech that the community as a whole upholds.
This account and others like it, given the chance to grow incites others that agree with the slander to downvote us and thereby threaten our ability to post freely.
It first has to be acknowledged that this is a community and the community decides what content is on here.
My definition of free speech is not outrageous. It's quite reasonable and others here share it.
If there was an article written as a direct response to something I wrote and criticised it, I would be happy to engage in dialogue and listen to their viewpoint.
But this is literally slander which incites others with less of an ability to think for themselves to simply take these derogatory and misused labels at face value without looking into each individual account.
I as a part of this community choose not to allow this kind of malicious behaviour.
Obviously you can downvote whatever you wish.
I don't agree with downvoting @quackwatch simply because of their OPINION.
I mean, really, @quackwatch thinks we're idiots and we think @quackwatch is an idiot.
I really don't see the difference.
Just believing someone is an idiot is NOT a good reason to downvote.
Are all christians idiots?
Are all muslims idiots?
Why would we expect to NOT be downvoted by (high-powered) accounts that disagree with us and yet still downvote accounts we disagree with?
It just doesn't seem very "principled".