In American society today and in other Western and industrialized nations, an insidious movement has taken hold, denying the rights of those with whom one disagrees to have a platform.
Stifling Classrooms
In academia, for example, overeducated professors, who should know better, have little tolerance for viewpoints that differ from their own. As such, classrooms have become stifling. If you're a student who leans Right, you might have to keep a low profile for the entire semester in order to receive a grade that will not ruin your grade point average.
Discussing controversial topics, particularly in institutions of higher learning, should be something participants look forward to. Yet, respecting the rights of others who have differing views is rapidly becoming passé.
Why are those in control, namely professors, deans, and high-ranking university officials, no longer champions of free speech? What prompted them to create “safe spaces” that are not safe from groupthink and restricted ideas?
What do academics fear if an opinion that differs from theirs? If an opinion is outrageous, it likely will be dismissed by those who have the capability to illuminate its flaws articulately. If an idea is less than outrageous, then engage in healthy debate and do your best to dissuade its adherents. To not hear it at all speaks volumes. To have no need even to attempt to find common ground says more about the opinion gatekeepers than those with differing viewpoints.
Safe Spaces are Unsafe
Schools and other institutions that have set up safe spaces and media, internet giants, and other gatekeepers of American discourse who seek to cancel people, as opposed to protecting their free speech, ought to reflect upon what they are doing. Someday, maybe they'll hold an opinion that differs from those with whom they currently identify. Then what will they do? Stifle their true feelings?
Freedom of speech, as often observed, requires that you are going to hear things that you find to be offensive or that upset you. Soon enough, you might say things others find outrageous and offensive. That is what free speech is all about. If all speech has to toe a certain line, then it is not free speech.
Being exposed to ideas that upset you or notions you've never previously considered is part of free speech in a free society. Free speech is the cornerstone of a true democracy and a true representative republic such as the United States. Yet, free speech is squelched every day in America by those on the Left who believe that they have a lock on what is right, true, and good. They do not.
Notably, those among us who are highly educated – professors, literate journalists, and other media gatekeepers – could be the most vigorous champions of free speech in our society. Professors could encourage students to share different viewpoints. The media could be more tolerant towards those having opinions that differ from theirs.
Biden and Company Are Bad News
When the Biden Administration tells the social media giants to diminish Conservative voices, in effect, it is conveying that they can't afford to have differing viewpoints aired; that might be risky. People might start thinking for themselves instead of conforming to the groupthink that Leftists have concocted.
When a celebrity or noted figure makes an erroneous statement, even from 40 years ago, and the gatekeepers on the Left clamber to cancel this person, they are being elitists: “You are less worthy than we are and not entitled to your position in society. We must shun you and ensure that you do not progress in your career. We must hold you out as an example.”
Yet, who among those Leftist gatekeepers has not made such a statement, certainly in their youth, let alone during their prime working years? And who, indeed, ought to be canceled as a result of a single statement? Even if that statement is horrible, still, it must be tolerated because that is the essence of free speech.
Surrendering Over Your Rights
You are free to disassociate with such a person individually, but when you allow the gatekeepers of political correctness to prevail, you have surrendered your right to free speech. You simply don't realize it.