Government Censorship Protects You From Reality

Here’s some unpopular opinions. Let NFL players kneel during the national anthem. Allow Roseanne Barr to spout out racist comments. Deal with Samantha Bee’s vulgar comments towards Ivanka Trump. It’s okay that Bakers refuse cakes for same-sex weddings and bars refuse service to Trump Supporters. Why? Because the US is a country with a wide array of viewpoints that allows each individual their own sentiment. We’ve become a country of people who love voicing opinions but hate hearing opinions we disagree with.

Free speech, in itself, is essentially harmless. Free speech connects individual thought with voice, allowing the assertion of one’s ideas and opinions. As long as one does not infringe on the rights of others, free speech is harmless.

With bias political tribalism dominating our views, we’ve lost sight of the true meaning of free speech and the importance of the first amendment. Yes, people make offensive, ignorant, foolish comments that get under our skin. And yes, those people have every right to say what they want.

Different Ideas and thoughts are constantly presented to us every day. When people are trying to get their point across they are going to say offensive things. Like Jordan Peterson said in a conversation “You’re certainly willing to risk offending me in the pursuit of truth. Why should you have the right to do that? ..you’re doing what you should do ..but you’re exercising your right to freedom of speech.”

Both sides of the political spectrum spout jargon that is clearly insulting and offensive.  Is one sides’ offensive speech justified over the other sides’ offensive speech? And, why do we allow our side to make vulgar comments but demand the other side be silenced?  Regardless if you think your adversary is offensive or not, you cannot change their views with censorship.

Sadly, when opposing rigid offensive views arise people tend to rely on the thought police in hopes of silencing their antagonists. With Twitter censoring speech, The NFL forcing stance during the National Anthem, and the government telling business owners who they have to bake for, American’s love seeing their offenders voice silenced. Because of the animosity we have towards another, we’ve forgotten the importance of the first amendment.

Although corporate media and Government founded think tanks preach acceptable behavior, The United States was not established to promote one universal thought; but rather a diversity of beliefs and opinions. We should all take a stance and defend our principles. But we must not force higher powers to silence those we disagree with. Censorship enforced by the government and private entities will not convince people to think different. All censorship does is protect us from the reality of others.

The new wave of sensitivity towards harsh speech is not helping, but actually harming us.

For example, let’s say one believes the Colorado baker Jack Phillips to be  homophobic. If Jack is forced to bake cakes for gay couples and a gay couple decides to buy from him; essentially this means the gay couple is supporting a business that disagrees with their lifestyle. If the baker is openly refusing service to the LGBTQ community than one can simply go elsewhere and support a business that aligns with their beliefs. I am by no means saying it is alright for a businesses to discriminate on anyone. But if a business shows prejudices towards me due to my lifestyle, I would not put one cent into that company.

Another example is the hostility towards NFL players who kneel during our Country’s National Anthem. It’s fair to understand why one would be offended by this action from professional athletes. However, having a private entity subsidized by the government hold a gun to a professional athlete’s head is not going to make them hate our justice system any less. NFL players kneel to draw attention to an injustice criminal system. If this offends you, explain why our system is not injustice. Like David French of the National Review says “the cure for bad speech is better speech.”

In a highly polarized society with two political parties feasting off their opponents’ mistakes, we tend to lose track of the importance of the first amendment. We want to convert everyone into thinking the same way as ourselves. Offensive speech is presenting you with the reality of what others think.

Not only is government censorship useless but it is also unconstitutional. As the first amendment states,  “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”