It's
fashionable for people of a left-leaning ideology to advocate for
censorship on the internet. As people on the right are being censored
and in some cases deplatformed, people on the left are cheerleading the
situation. They love to cite the idea that sites like Twitter, Facebook
and YouTube are owned by corporations. Therefore, they say the
corporations are within their rights to stifle some speech while
allowing other speech.
Often times, it's
unfairly applied. Certain people are allowed to spew hate and even
threaten others, and they don't even get a warning. Some people are shut
down immediately. For the record, it shouldn't be okay to threaten
physical harm to anybody online. If it's seen as a legitimate threat,
the platform in question might have to take action if it's brought to
their attention. If it's merely somebody putting out an opinion that
other people don't like, it's freedom of speech. At least ways, that's
how it should be.
The advocates of censorship
have no understanding that censorship can be turned against them
eventually. Since they appear to be echoing the opinions that are
approved by the social media platforms, they feel safe. They feel as if
their team is able to do whatever they want, and their speech is
important. The other side has it wrong, you see. Therefore they must be
shut down and ridiculed. The other side shouldn't be allowed to say a
word while the left says whatever they want against them.
We
have to beware of what we advocate and understand that for every action
there is an opposite reaction. In politics, there are times when we see
certain powers and abilities given to the politicians. The ones in
power think it's great because it allows them to do whatever they want
without as many checks and balances. The ones not in power lament the
fact that they are left at a disadvantage.
However,
the politicians in control change. Eventually, the other side gets the
control and gets to use these new powers against the other side. In
other words, people advocating for censorship against opinions they
don't like may be the victims of that censorship one day.
Consider
the story that was presented in the movie V For Vendetta. In this case,
it was conservative religious types who had the power, and they used it
to shut people down. One of the groups that was persecuted was the LGBT
community. They were hunted down and locked away. I know people on the
conservative side may have bristled at the way their ideology was being
depicted in the movie, but it's not like things like this haven't
happened when conservatives were in power in the past. They already talk
about the LGBT community engaging in sinful activities according to
their religious doctrines.
Right now, it seems
safe to be a member of the LGBT community. Whether you're gay, lesbian,
bisexual, transgender or what have you, there are efforts to not only
acknowledge you but also celebrate you. Therefore, there are many people
in the LGBT community who advocate for censorship on the grounds that
they believe questioning them is hate speech. Right now, powers that
appear to be on the left are controlling this narrative, but what
happens if that power changes hands? How safe do you suppose the LGBT
community will be if certain conservative, religious elements gain
control?
