I'm very serious. This tiny story is one more example of how some people want to exert more and more control over freedom of expression, the most liberal of American values.
I know there are many people like you who agree with that. I'm not trying to change your mind.
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Well you're mistaken because my point was not that I agree with "some people want to exert more and more control over freedom of expression, the most liberal of America values" instead it's that what you all fear is already being done AND that's it's not something any normal person should fear.
Freedom of expression under the 1st amendment of the U.S. Constitution and as upheld by the SCOTUS allows the Ku Klux Klan to burn crosses even though this is a known intimidation tactic used to terrorize black people, just as one example. But as has been pointed out, repeatedly I believe, freedom of speech/expression as most people use the term is not applicable to a workplace situation because generally your employer, who you see as interferring with your free speech or freedom of expression rights, is not the government which is the entity prohibited from doing the interferring per the U.S. Constituion.
On the other hand, if your complaint is that you have to watch what you say so that you don't get accused of making racist, sexist, or any other inappropriate comments based on one of your co-worker's religion, ethnicity, national origin, perceived or actual disability, then that has been the law since 1964. Again, this is nothing new and in fact is the law.