I haven't written a post for a long while as I have observed the political and social scene in our country. My level of disgust with politics, politicians and media sources has risen to an unprecedented level, even for someone who follows this daily trainwreck as closely as I do. I will address politics generally in another post that will follow soon. For now, my dominant concern is the issue of free speech.
Events in Charlottesville, VA recently have exposed the worst of us as a nation and as individuals. Vitriolic and knee-jerk reactions have been widespread and appalling. It is utterly sickening to watch this juvenile behavior in those who pretend to be adults but don't have the first clue how to act like one. In the first place, through the sytemic and deliberate dumbing down of our citizenry, few of us recognize that every citizen in this country is guaranteed freedom of expression (free speech). The Constitution places absolutely no restrictions on speech that is stupid, ignorant, hateful and evil. I should not have to say this, but I know I must to prevent liberal accusers from twisting my words: I have never and will never support or agree with racists or skinheads. They are disgusting people who are dead wrong. They may choose to associate with the Republican Party, but Republicans did not choose them and do not support them. As repulsive as their racist speech is, it is protected and they have the right to express it. That is exactly what free speech looks like; it can be awful and ugly.
Here's the part that the "adults" have failed to teach the young fools in this country. The corollary to free speech is that you have the freedom not to listen. What?! Yes, it's true. Noone is constitutionally required to listen to speech they don't agree with. Sadly, for those of you with such fragile and thin skin, the Constitution does not protect you from being offended. Let me restate: YOU ARE NOT, AND SHOULD NOT, BE PROTECTED FROM BEING OFFENDED. So, get over yourselves; put on your big boy and big girl pants and grow up. Does that offend you? What doesn't offend you? Try this one on for size: Being offended is a choice. Stop being offended and move on. Here's one more principle for you to feel offended about: You do not have the right to shut down speech that you don't want to hear. You don't have to listen; you don't have to agree. But if we are to maintain our right as individuals to speak freely, then we must protect it for everyone, in every circumstance. Failing to do so will be the demise of that right. Democrats used to be famous for saying: "I may disagree with your speech, but I will die to defend your right to do so." Now, many of them have become the Speech Police, shutting down lectures, creating "Free-Speech Zones" on campuses and judging words on a ridiculous scale of political correctness that is approaching communistic practices. Is that really what you want?
Our nation has been overrun by fragile snowflakes whose sole purpose in life is the daily stroking of their own delicate egos. Grown-ups don't have time to preen and prance and spend every minute of every day worrying about their self-esteem. They don't waste time on the fools in their world who say foolish things. They go through life thinking about what is going on around them and acting deliberately to deal with the world. Perhaps you young know-nothings should stop living in a constant reactionary state of emotional frenzy and start thinking. It will likely be a new and exhilarating experience for any of you that choose to try it. You see, thinking requires that you question everything; that you base your decisions and actions on principles of truth. Principles of truth give you a platform of bedrock on which to base those decisions and guide you in how you choose to act in any given situation, rather than reacting to everything that crosses your path.
One final thought about being offended. Every human should be offended by the principles espoused in any form of racism or hate based on skin color, sex or religion. But being offended is not an end unto itself. Appropriate and constructive responses are required of us to prevent us from ever returning to the bloody history of the U.S. or places like China, Turkey, Russia, Rwanda and of course, Nazi Germany. That however, is not on par with people that express opinions that differ from yours. Opinions should be received as an opportunity to think, to assess, to weigh their value and determine if it is something you can learn from, embrace or reject. There is no physical pain inflicted, no permanent harm done by listening to different opinions. The opposite, however, of squelching thought, encouraging group-think and discouraging the expression of free speech does horrible and long-term damage to any society that embraces it.
Let's return to Charlotte. Many of my liberal friends reacted on Facebook by expressing the idea that "if you are silent, you are part of the problem." That is only partly true. You see, the human debris that were expressing racism publicly, would have been completely unknown to all but a handful of people in Virginia, had the "counter-protest" not taken place. The counter-protesters engaged, not to try to change hearts and minds, but to pick a fight that the skinheads were more than happy to provide. If the skinheads had been ignored and given the amount of "air time" that they deserved, their disgusting demonstration would have ended with a whimper. Instead, it became exacerbated and inflamed. The media quickly pounced with yet another opportunity to increase ratings, make money and create frenzy in the country. The reaction the thugs were given created legitimacy of their "cause" in their own minds, leading them to feel justified and emboldened. Silence would have been better. They should have been ignored as the fringe filth that they are. It is a wonder that people still have not figured out that hate does not quell hate. Angry confrontations never change anyone's mind and have never solved a single social ill. I do agree that we should speak out productively in the face of evil and condemn it wherever we see it. But as with all things in life, actions always speak louder than words. Our daily treatment of those around us is far more effective, long-term, than most any protest or march has ever been.
Finally a word to my liberal friends. Many of you have expressed the idea that somehow President Trump is responsible for these idiots in Charlottesville. And you have further implied that conservative voters are in agreement with or condone the actions of this tiny minority of the Republican Party. Every single one of you should be ashamed. By that "logic", then you must also hold Barack Obama accountable for the rioting, looting and violence perpetuated by Black Lives Matter or the lives lost by innocent police officers doing their jobs. And, I must therefore assume that you condone and agree with the fringe left of the Democrat Party that perpetrated such acts. Is that either true or fair? You all have friends and loved ones who vote conservatively and you know better than to make that assumption about them. Why would you make that assumption about an entire political party writ large?
To all my friends: It is high time that we stop allowing ourselves to be divided and manipulated by political parties and the media. It serves their purposes to keep the pot stirred and have us all in a state of constant agiation. It allows those blinded by power to manipulate those blinded by ignorance. We all end up in the ditch. When will we stop reacting to hate, stop being pawns of the power brokers in our nation, stop being blind to the truth that is happening around us? We alone have the power to stop anger and hate and FIX IT. That starts one person at a time.
Events in Charlottesville, VA recently have exposed the worst of us as a nation and as individuals. Vitriolic and knee-jerk reactions have been widespread and appalling. It is utterly sickening to watch this juvenile behavior in those who pretend to be adults but don't have the first clue how to act like one. In the first place, through the sytemic and deliberate dumbing down of our citizenry, few of us recognize that every citizen in this country is guaranteed freedom of expression (free speech). The Constitution places absolutely no restrictions on speech that is stupid, ignorant, hateful and evil. I should not have to say this, but I know I must to prevent liberal accusers from twisting my words: I have never and will never support or agree with racists or skinheads. They are disgusting people who are dead wrong. They may choose to associate with the Republican Party, but Republicans did not choose them and do not support them. As repulsive as their racist speech is, it is protected and they have the right to express it. That is exactly what free speech looks like; it can be awful and ugly.
Here's the part that the "adults" have failed to teach the young fools in this country. The corollary to free speech is that you have the freedom not to listen. What?! Yes, it's true. Noone is constitutionally required to listen to speech they don't agree with. Sadly, for those of you with such fragile and thin skin, the Constitution does not protect you from being offended. Let me restate: YOU ARE NOT, AND SHOULD NOT, BE PROTECTED FROM BEING OFFENDED. So, get over yourselves; put on your big boy and big girl pants and grow up. Does that offend you? What doesn't offend you? Try this one on for size: Being offended is a choice. Stop being offended and move on. Here's one more principle for you to feel offended about: You do not have the right to shut down speech that you don't want to hear. You don't have to listen; you don't have to agree. But if we are to maintain our right as individuals to speak freely, then we must protect it for everyone, in every circumstance. Failing to do so will be the demise of that right. Democrats used to be famous for saying: "I may disagree with your speech, but I will die to defend your right to do so." Now, many of them have become the Speech Police, shutting down lectures, creating "Free-Speech Zones" on campuses and judging words on a ridiculous scale of political correctness that is approaching communistic practices. Is that really what you want?
Our nation has been overrun by fragile snowflakes whose sole purpose in life is the daily stroking of their own delicate egos. Grown-ups don't have time to preen and prance and spend every minute of every day worrying about their self-esteem. They don't waste time on the fools in their world who say foolish things. They go through life thinking about what is going on around them and acting deliberately to deal with the world. Perhaps you young know-nothings should stop living in a constant reactionary state of emotional frenzy and start thinking. It will likely be a new and exhilarating experience for any of you that choose to try it. You see, thinking requires that you question everything; that you base your decisions and actions on principles of truth. Principles of truth give you a platform of bedrock on which to base those decisions and guide you in how you choose to act in any given situation, rather than reacting to everything that crosses your path.
One final thought about being offended. Every human should be offended by the principles espoused in any form of racism or hate based on skin color, sex or religion. But being offended is not an end unto itself. Appropriate and constructive responses are required of us to prevent us from ever returning to the bloody history of the U.S. or places like China, Turkey, Russia, Rwanda and of course, Nazi Germany. That however, is not on par with people that express opinions that differ from yours. Opinions should be received as an opportunity to think, to assess, to weigh their value and determine if it is something you can learn from, embrace or reject. There is no physical pain inflicted, no permanent harm done by listening to different opinions. The opposite, however, of squelching thought, encouraging group-think and discouraging the expression of free speech does horrible and long-term damage to any society that embraces it.
Let's return to Charlotte. Many of my liberal friends reacted on Facebook by expressing the idea that "if you are silent, you are part of the problem." That is only partly true. You see, the human debris that were expressing racism publicly, would have been completely unknown to all but a handful of people in Virginia, had the "counter-protest" not taken place. The counter-protesters engaged, not to try to change hearts and minds, but to pick a fight that the skinheads were more than happy to provide. If the skinheads had been ignored and given the amount of "air time" that they deserved, their disgusting demonstration would have ended with a whimper. Instead, it became exacerbated and inflamed. The media quickly pounced with yet another opportunity to increase ratings, make money and create frenzy in the country. The reaction the thugs were given created legitimacy of their "cause" in their own minds, leading them to feel justified and emboldened. Silence would have been better. They should have been ignored as the fringe filth that they are. It is a wonder that people still have not figured out that hate does not quell hate. Angry confrontations never change anyone's mind and have never solved a single social ill. I do agree that we should speak out productively in the face of evil and condemn it wherever we see it. But as with all things in life, actions always speak louder than words. Our daily treatment of those around us is far more effective, long-term, than most any protest or march has ever been.
Finally a word to my liberal friends. Many of you have expressed the idea that somehow President Trump is responsible for these idiots in Charlottesville. And you have further implied that conservative voters are in agreement with or condone the actions of this tiny minority of the Republican Party. Every single one of you should be ashamed. By that "logic", then you must also hold Barack Obama accountable for the rioting, looting and violence perpetuated by Black Lives Matter or the lives lost by innocent police officers doing their jobs. And, I must therefore assume that you condone and agree with the fringe left of the Democrat Party that perpetrated such acts. Is that either true or fair? You all have friends and loved ones who vote conservatively and you know better than to make that assumption about them. Why would you make that assumption about an entire political party writ large?
To all my friends: It is high time that we stop allowing ourselves to be divided and manipulated by political parties and the media. It serves their purposes to keep the pot stirred and have us all in a state of constant agiation. It allows those blinded by power to manipulate those blinded by ignorance. We all end up in the ditch. When will we stop reacting to hate, stop being pawns of the power brokers in our nation, stop being blind to the truth that is happening around us? We alone have the power to stop anger and hate and FIX IT. That starts one person at a time.
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