The state of Censorship

Voltaire’s biographer Evelyn Beatrice Hall summed up his stance on free speech as the following, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” What Volatire understood at that time and many of the great philosophers of history knew to be true is that freedom of speech is a natural right. The recent banning of the President of the United States from social media is not only in poor taste but it is draconian.

The justification used is that Donald Trump is inciting violence and spreading misinformation through his social media platforms. This explanation of events sounds plausible to the common person but the truth is that big tech has never cared for the opinions of the President and now they have the perfect occasion to act. Donald Trump posted a video on Twitter calling for peace during the protest at the Capitol but that video was taken down quite quickly.

Anything that does not fit the narrative of the gatekeepers of society they dismiss and attempt to stifle, this is dangerous as I will explain in this piece. If the leader of the free world can be censored then there is no hope for the common man. The censoring of individuals that make some feel uncomfortable will only lead to the development of even more fringe groups in society. When one feels isolated and alienated by the general population they are bound to be resentful of that society. All ideologies are not good ideologies but different ideas should be able to be shared and then allow adults with critical thinking to choose for themselves. Big tech wants to remain as a private entity but they are often overreaching in the lives of citizens even more so than the Government.

These companies are self-righteous in the sense that they hold the keys to what is morally astute and acceptable. The biggest indication that this is about ideology and not just the President is the way that the supporters of this President have been targeted. Conservatives are being shamed and doxed out of “polite society.” This is an oxymoron of sorts due to the tactics utilized by the far left to ostracize and mark conservatives with a Scarlet letter. History has shown that when institutions attempt to control political dissidents chaos will surely follow. The thing about feeling self-righteous is that what is deemed right in society is ever-changing and one day the shoes will be on the other foot. In summary, one can not take away what they did not give in the first place. It appears that the dystopian novel 1984 by George Orwell is becoming a reality in 2021 right before our eyes and all we are doing is watching and waiting.