Cancel culture is out of control. Firing, doxxing, or just threatening a person because of what he or she has posted or “liked” on social media is the new political weapon, and there are few ways most average people can fight that kind of power.

Enter Elon Musk . The billionaire and owner of X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter , announced on Saturday night, “If you were unfairly treated by your employer due to posting or liking something on this platform, we will fund your legal bill. No limit. Please let us know.”

Several people on the site immediately responded with tales of how they were fired, forced to resign, or demoted because of their presence on Twitter or something they said or “liked.”

This announcement comes on the heels of the news that NASCAR driver Noah Gragson got suspended for liking an Instagram meme about George Floyd, the black man whose death inspired the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots. The meme Gragson “liked” mocked Floyd.

“We have made the decision to suspend Noah Gragson effective immediately regarding his actions that do not represent the values of our team,” Legacy Motor Club said in a statement on Saturday. NASCAR said it supported the decision.

Liking an insensitive meme may show a lack of respect, just as an employee tweeting explicit things or behaving a certain way on social media may reflect poorly on an employer. But unless the behavior is extreme, and on occasion it is, it’s hard to see how a “like” or retweet on social media could justify termination or suspension from a real-life job. Gragson’s “like” seems like it was more insensitive and rude than anything.

It’s a difficult line to see clearly, but in general, it doesn’t seem like people should be fired for free expression online, especially for a political viewpoint.

Here is a good example. Lois McLatchie Miller of Alliance Defending Freedom International told Musk the story of a parliamentarian in Finland put on criminal trial by the government for a tweet of a Bible verse that challenged her church for sponsoring a Pride parade. Government censorship of online speech is egregious and must be stopped.

In either case, the way to combat extreme censorship of free speech — or cancel culture, as we now call it — is something like this: Fight fire with fire. The problem is, few people have the means to do so.

It remains to be seen if Musk will follow through with what he said or how he will do so. It seems like such an undertaking may prove to be a significant task, but hopefully, some people who have been wrongfully terminated just for posting their viewpoints, being publicly conservative, or criticizing institutions will get the legal help they deserve.

Nicole Russell ( @russell_nm ) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential blog. She is a mother of four and an opinion columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in Texas.