I was deeply moved watching the movie The Sound of Freedom, which has now raked in more than $155 million in box office revenue. The production was well done, not overly graphic, not preachy, just the right tone. It seemed as if any responsible adult who saw this movie would deem it worthwhile, certainly for shedding light on a grave global social calamity.
Disagreement About What?
It came as a shock to me when many of the publications and media outlets on the Left found ways to belittle, ignore, or downplay the movie, or otherwise have nasty comments to offer. Sure, the Left and the Right do not get along much. Those of us on the Right have long known that the Left harbors some civilization-and-nation-destroying views about the world, the United States, government policies and programs, how people should be treated, and so on.
Still, if one topic existed upon which we could all agree, it would have to be that the lives of children are precious, they are not for sale, and they are not playthings for sordid adults. Right?
Wrong! The Left is up in arms about The Sound of Freedom. When I asked fellow Conservatives for their reactions to how the Left has treated the film and its topic, I received some rather strong reactions. They are presented below, verbatim, except for cleanup of spelling and grammatical faux pas.
Great Expectations
Spencer said, “Why would we suddenly expect consistency and fairness from the Left? The people who really know what is going on with the trafficking realize there are important individuals to protect. So they will try to shrug off the whole thing by saying it doesn’t happen that often. And, about their other criticism: "The actors in the movie are actually religious people in real life!”
Evan said, “Apparently we cannot all agree. In today’s woke political climate it seems we are encouraged to pursue individual satisfaction. Words like ‘wrong’ and ‘evil’ are reserved for the Left in characterizing the Right. LBGTQ+A+++ and anything else you want are to be celebrated. Being a ‘minor-attracted’ person is slowly becoming seen as a condition, not a perversion.”
“Look at the huge circle of wealthy influential individuals who were Jeffery Epstein’s close associates: from royalty to billionaires to Presidents. Look at the report of how he died. A clever third grader could write a more believable story. Where is the famous but unseen list of visitors to his lawless island? Why won’t his girlfriend speak out to get herself out of jail? Because she’d rather be alive in jail than dead out of jail. The Left wants us to pursue our individual pleasures, guilt-free, and to call it freedom. Wokeness and DEI are all about lowering standards, professional and personal. So, we cannot all agree that child trafficking is bad.”
Bill said, “Progressives are incapable of speaking up for children lest they inadvertently agree with Conservatives. They’ve truly sold their souls to the devil.”
Tony said, “We ‘cis’ white males are responsible for the rape of the entire world. Paradise would be reality if not for us. Only the Woke can replace us and save Earth from our boundless evil intentions. And I always thought I was one of the good guys.”
Jim said, “Thank you for expressing outrage at this pushback from the Left.
Maybe they truly are motivated by evil. Last year, I posed the question ‘Does evil really exist?’ I suspect that if I had then explored what evil looks like in person and action, the discussion might have changed, because the next step would be to show everyday people doing common things like passing sinister legislation. Society seems to think evil is always a big, satanic monster with horns and claws. However, evil is Adam Schiff lying and manipulating public opinion, Gerald Nadler blocking legislation that would diminish evil, and Hillary Clinton demonizing anything good. It is Officer Bell shooting unarmed Ashli Babbitt, and the Austin City Council cutting police funding while celebrating transgenderism.”
Sad but True
These heartfelt responses, which I find to have great merit, saddened me. If there is no topic, no issue, no place remaining where the Left and Right can find some level of agreement, then years if not decades of strife are all but predictable, and outright hostilities are entirely possible.