If I read you right, since we have to play fair, even with one team being a lying, cheating bunch of fucking assholes, we're bound to preserving our traditional ways, no matter how harmful? Even ones that may effectively lead to our demise, and cause constant suffering along the way?

Freedom of speech was not the mistake.
The mistake was not addressing that our neighbors celebrated bigotry and "treason if it suits me."
Making it illegal to proclaim you're a treasonous bigot doesn’t address eradicating the ignorance that drives them to want to proclaim it.