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August 24, 2016 What a world... I have always, and will always be, an advocate against censorship, censorship of all kinds: censorship of information, truth, and expression. If we are to grow and evolve as a species, we need to have access to information, all information. We have to be allowed to express ourselves openly, and the avenues leading to a truth based on rational and logical thought need to be continually open. Censorship at its core is about stifling information, stifling growth, and inevitably stifling the betterment of all humanity, not to mention the glaring fact that it is simply stupid, on a very base level.However, I have been noticing lately a tone emerging in society, an organized embrace of censorship by the very faction who has always readily denounced its evils the strongest… liberals. Now before anyone of my numerous readers (thank you mom, Greg, and Andy) expresses their outrage at me for crying ill of liberals let me state, unequivocally, that I am liberal, but concurrently I also find myself to be a little conservative. I always have been an ambiguous mix of both, while strangely being separate from each. Part of me lies very firmly in the liberal camp, but there are some parts, parts that maybe I don’t even want to acknowledge, that tend more towards a conservative mindset. But enough of me, let’s talk about this “liberal†censorship claptrap. Just the other day at work, I was having a conversation with one of my coworker friends. It was a private conversation between the two of us. I made a joke (probably a bad one) that ended with something like, “that’s what men doâ€. Another coworker, simply walking by, “drive-by-judged†us, and said this, “Don’t be gender specificâ€, before quickly walking away. My friend and I glanced at each other as if to say, “What the fuck was that all about?†And then we went back to work. The incident, however, stuck with me all day. I could not shake the feeling of what a judgmental, arrogant, and rude thing to say to two people having a private conversation. And then it dawned on me that he was actively attempting to censor me. Not only that, but it was coming from a man (mind you, I’m being gender specific here… so if anyone reading this has an ego so fragile it cannot handle that amount of specificity, then please, do avert your eyes) who espouses at being the most liberal person in the store. I have also had deep discussions with this person about the very subject upon which I am writing- the iniquities of censorship. The irony as I see it is this; if pressed, this person (and I know this from past conversations with him) would be appalled if someone claimed he was being judgmental or supporting censorship of any kind. Which leads me to only one conclusion- this person is a monolithically arrogant, narcissistic, know-it-all. One who believes his or her ideology is right, and anyone else’s is wrong. One who believes censorship is okay if it suits his or her needs or opinions. This hypocrisy is utterly staggering. Here is a person who trumpets equality and unity above all else, a person who believes it to be a cardinal sin to judge another person on his or her manner, or his or her life choices. And yet, this same person openly thinks it is not just right, but just, for them to not only judge but also further condemn someone for an idle comment heard in passing. This person obviously sees no discrepancy on censorship as long as it is directed clearly towards those he thinks are in the wrong. He finds nothing amiss about the attempt to control speech, which thereby is also an effort to control thought, which we all know organized religions have been doing for thousands of years. Here in lies my problem. I am gender specific. I am a man. And proud to be the kind of man I hope to be. The struggle to be so is continuous. But now I’m being told by this wave of, dare I say it, liberal propaganda, that it is bad to consider oneself as such, that to be a “man†in this culture is to be a “villainâ€. That instead of being something, which I can take pride in, I have to find a new pronoun to describe and define myself. A pronoun bereft of any humanity- cisgender. That’s right, mom, Greg, and Andy. Women are no longer women. Men are no longer men. We are whatever the winds of society choose to make us. Assimilate or die. Step in line or be harshly judged. Tow the line, follow orders, and don’t rock the boat. Because there are people out there, that think they know better than you do. That think they know what is best for you. Those that want to tell you what you can and cannot say and what you can and cannot think. The ineffable, brilliant, immortal George Carlin called these people “the vocabulary policeâ€. Please, for the love of intelligence and logic and ultimately humanity, do not listen to the “vocabulary policeâ€. I have always and will always be a proponent of the individual. I believe you should make up your own mind, and discover your own ideology. I ask you to question, and question thoroughly, the ideals, dogmas, and concepts of others; especially those who would claim to know “the truthâ€, or what is right and wrong. Stand strong in the knowledge that just because someone disagrees with you it does not mean you are wrong. And this goes for everyone, all humanity, regardless of your stance on gender or politics or religion. But never, ever do what this coworker did to my friend and I- try to force your viewpoint on another person. If you count yourself as a liberal then that is a hypocrisy mired in the blackest lack of intelligence; smacking more of rhetoric than rebuttal. It takes a wise man to realize he does not know everything. And it takes a strong man to realize what he has done is wrong. At any other point, I would have confronted this person and told them what I thought, but being that I was at work, I could not. And yet, even with all I’ve said already, this person is able to condemn and chastise and judge only because his viewpoints are what are politically and socially acceptable, now. Strange. I would fight for this person’s right to believe what they believed. Do you think he would do the same for me? Doubtful. Also strange how I am an atheist and yet the first thing that comes to mind in this situation is a Roman Catholic proverb: Matthew 7:1 “Judge not, lest you be judgedâ€. Hell! These are the “golden rules†people. And they still apply today. Even in this crazy, mixed up world and messed up country. [Add Comment] [View Comment] |
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