HYPOCRISY

The Left’s Take on “Free Speech”

The Past

The Left once owned the free speech space. They founded the ACLU, they defended even hateful speech in court, they never banned books and more.  I remember when they actually supported the Constitution.  At UC Berkeley, the Free Speech Movement was populated primarily by Lefties.  The Right was the side that promoted book banning and had concerns about letting Nazis march in Skokie.

What changed?  What happened in the past 40 years to the party, such that they only want free speech for members of the party?  Doesn’t that sound like the CCP?  It does to me.

Today’s Myth of Free Speech

Cancel culture is everywhere, but there is a myth that it applies to everyone.  It doesn’t.  Just recently, Hillary Clinton came on TV to announce that the 2016 election was stolen (a myth she has been crying out since she lost the election) AND that the 2022 and 2024 elections will be stolen.  Stacey Abrams is on the same tear, again feeling she had her victory taken from her and doubting that the elections will be fair.  I’m surprised.  Why are neither of them arrested for these traitorous comments?

It turns out that believing in the rampant fraud of the 2020 election is illegal, but only because most of the protestors were on the Right.  I confess.  After seeing “2000 Mules”, Dinesh D’Souza’s great film showing actual data proving the steal and hearing tons of other cases of fraudulent ballots, ballots being dumped and many cases of duplicate ballots, I have to believe there was a ton of fraud, primarily in battleground states. This is based on evidence.  Please don’t tell anyone. I’d rather not go to jail.  But why are Lefties empowered to challenge elections when we are not?

When Hillary was the First Lady, she was known to go on tears about Blacks and Jews.  She is a sort-of, closeted racist.  But that’s okay.  In public, she goes on and on about her love for what she clearly considers lesser beings.  As long as they vote for her and sign on to her government programs, she’s happy with people she can now control.  But don’t lump her in with the rest of us deplorables.  You can hate whole groups of people as long as you vote Democrat.

Anyone who challenges the idea that a woman should be able to abort/kill a baby up to the moment of birth is depriving all women of their rights (presumably including all the men who can become pregnant).  But Pelosi and Biden can continue to receive Communion as Catholics despite their support for abortion.    There’s a name for this behavior – hypocrisy.  Why does the media tolerate it?  There’s a great story for them to follow.

All kinds of hateful speech is allowed in schools and universities, but only on Leftie causes.  You can’t be a Christian and pray or speak to anyone on your faith.  You can’t talk about views that oppose the dictates of the Left.  No one on the Left wants to be challenged.  I suspect it’s because they know they could too easily be deprived of their cherished views with well-founded facts.  I find it interesting that when you have a mixed group politically, those on the Right are more likely to be open to hearing opposing views and actively engaged when they can have a powerful conversation and perhaps learn something.   What is the Left afraid of?

My personal rule is that the most intelligent of us is constantly seeking to learn, to meet others with information they don’t have and to find even better minds to engage with.  Even when I have strong opinions, I will listen to opposing arguments, as long as they are well-considered arguments and not verbal slurs.  Name-calling is what you do when you are a. a child or b. unable to formulate a real response.

The Media

What’s in it for the media to cover the Left so favorably?  First, they are mostly Left, having culled conservatives from their ranks.  Second, they live for conflict.  News articles that talk about how their readers find ways to bridge the gap are nixed; the media believes they won’t sell.  And while they know the traditional news, (print and TV), is dying and people are less engaged, they still believe that sensationalism is better than giving us the facts. 

I believe that at some point, possibly too late, the media will figure out that they have backed the wrong horse.  People like to hear both sides of an issue and for straight news, they want the facts so they can make up their own minds.  They’ve forgotten their purpose and until and unless they analyze how news people have dug this big hole, they won’t survive.

Take a Stand

But we can do something too.  Engage with people you know won’t agree with you. Start small, on an issue with less “juice” to it.  Start by listening to them and asking clarifying questions.  Suggest that there are two (or more) sides to every question and ask if they are willing to listen to yours.  Keep it civil and avoid any personal comments or criticisms.  Remind yourself that your opinions have to have solid backing to be valid or “true”; when you talk to people with different opinions, you have an opportunity to learn more, and deepen your argument or perhaps find a new stance.  Stay open; stay curious.  Respectful discussion is the best way to have an opportunity to change opinions.  We can do this—we can lead the way.