tulsi
© Reuters / Scott Morgan
Widespread efforts to silence speech deemed to be offensive threaten US constitutional rights, Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard says. Her latest campaign ad takes aim at the hot-button issue of political correctness.

In a new campaign video posted on Twitter, Gabbard lists political correctness alongside things like overly powerful IT corporations and government overreach. All three infringe on Americans' personal rights, she says.

The battle between "PC culture" and free-speech advocates has become particularly fierce in recent months, with "woke" activists rallying against anything that could potentially cause offense.


Some 50 years after the Free Speech Movement, the debate over what counts as protected speech has resurfaced with a vengeance in America. Silicon Valley's preoccupation with policing speech has led to accusations that platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are trying to suppress political opinions that don't align with establishment liberalism.

The ideological battle has not been confined to cyberspace, however, with numerous Confederate-era memorials removed and historical symbols, like the Betsy Ross flag, taking on meanings deemed to be offensive. In one mind-boggling example, a San Francisco school recently decided to shield their students from a mural depicting George Washington with slaves - a painting that was originally intended as a statement against racism.

By including political correctness in her ad, Gabbard could be giving more ammunition to the establishment Democrats and their supporters, who are already persistently trying to ostracize her. Their favorite bone to pick with Gabbard - one that gets mentioned in virtually every interview - is her willingness to give the benefit of the doubt to Syrian President Bashar Assad, for the sake of peace, instead of flatly branding him a 'dictator who gasses children' as per the mainstream narrative.