I Apologize for Nothing...and You Should do the Same
One of the more disturbing scenes of George Orwell's nightmarish 1984 comes in a jail cell. A man has been thrown in the jail to await trial for a thought crime he did not commit. He is innocent and thoroughly loyal to the government and its established orthodoxy in all things. Yet when a fellow inmate asks him if he is guilty, he proclaims that of course he is guilty, because they wouldn't accuse him if he were innocent.
When I read that section, I put the book down and went for a walk to absorb the impact. As a high school kid, I had not yet learned how much evil there is in the world and the book shocked me on a number of levels. But, even while reading that dystopia and being introduced to the world both as it was and as it might be if the direction were not corrected, I was not prepared for Orwell's concept of a populace so thoroughly brainwashed by those in power that they would admit guilt to a false charge.
In the decades since, I have learned that Orwell was on to something. 1984 was not a work of fiction so much as a warning of things to come.
I now live in a society that is on its way, if not stopped, of becoming what Orwell warned about. I see white people being told that we should apologize for "white privilege," men being told that if they simply try to express a viewpoint then they are guilty of something called "mansplaining" and Christians being persecuted by liberal state governments for daring to run their private businesses with the moral principles they learned in the Bible. We are increasingly being told that we are guilty of crimes for our views or for just being ourselves. And we are being pressured to agree with our accusers or face punishment.
On college campuses nationwide and in state level "human rights commissions" people are being brought forward to answer charges of "hate speech" for merely expressing a view that does not fit the liberal orthodoxy. In most cases, agreeing to admit guilt and submit to training sessions where you will be taught the right way to think, speak and act will get you some level of mercy. Announcing you have done nothing wrong can cause you to be expelled from college or have a fine levied on your business so large that it is meant to destroy your company, forcing you to close your doors.
Social media sites have become the self appointed arbiters of good versus ungood. Speech codes are strictly enforced if you disagree with the left, but not so much if you are on the left.
Sara Jeong, a New York Times editor, has a Twitter feed full of the worst kind of racist, sexist, bigoted bile imaginable. All of it is aimed at whites, men and Christians, so Twitter does nothing to punish her. By contrast, Candace Owens copied several of Jeong's tweets, changing white to Jewish or men to women or Christian to Muslim. Twitter immediately locked Owens account and kept it locked out until there was a torrent of anger from the right so overwhelming that news stories began to appear about it. Only then did Twitter lift her lockout. It is significant to note that prior to the outpouring of support for Owens, Twitter informed her that the lockout would only end when she agreed to delete the offending tweets, meaning Twitter was employing the Orwellian tactic of making her agree that she was guilty by forcing her to impose her own punishment.
This nation was founded on the idea that each of us has the unquestioned right to our own views and the absolute right to disagree. The left, by striking out against those freedoms, is attempting to drive a stake in the heart of what America has always been so they can then replace it with their view of how things should be. One need only to look around at the nations where they have succeeded in imposing their will to know how that turns out. In Venezuela, people are starving because of government mismanagement. Complaining about it brings about police beatings, imprisonment or being killed on the street by the police without an arrest or trial. In China, all forms of protest involve the protesters being very careful to make it known they love their government and merely wish to inform their leaders of areas of possible improvement. Otherwise, the get the Tiananmen Square treatment. Even in Western Europe, which use to be an advanced society, if you dare to speak out against Muslim immigrants raping local girls, you have to make very sure you do not mention Islam. Otherwise, you go to prison for a hate crime, all because you didn't like seeing young girls in your neighborhood raped by Muslim gangs.
The time to put a stop to this is now. Right this minute. Stand up for your beliefs and dare anyone to tell you that you are not allowed to speak out. Vote against the left in every position of government until they get the message and the current crop of leftist politicians have all withered away and been replaced by America loving moderates.
Don't give in to them, not one inch, not ever. Only by becoming a brick wall to their nonsense can you hope to protect freedom for yourselves and for the next generation.
When I read that section, I put the book down and went for a walk to absorb the impact. As a high school kid, I had not yet learned how much evil there is in the world and the book shocked me on a number of levels. But, even while reading that dystopia and being introduced to the world both as it was and as it might be if the direction were not corrected, I was not prepared for Orwell's concept of a populace so thoroughly brainwashed by those in power that they would admit guilt to a false charge.
In the decades since, I have learned that Orwell was on to something. 1984 was not a work of fiction so much as a warning of things to come.
I now live in a society that is on its way, if not stopped, of becoming what Orwell warned about. I see white people being told that we should apologize for "white privilege," men being told that if they simply try to express a viewpoint then they are guilty of something called "mansplaining" and Christians being persecuted by liberal state governments for daring to run their private businesses with the moral principles they learned in the Bible. We are increasingly being told that we are guilty of crimes for our views or for just being ourselves. And we are being pressured to agree with our accusers or face punishment.
On college campuses nationwide and in state level "human rights commissions" people are being brought forward to answer charges of "hate speech" for merely expressing a view that does not fit the liberal orthodoxy. In most cases, agreeing to admit guilt and submit to training sessions where you will be taught the right way to think, speak and act will get you some level of mercy. Announcing you have done nothing wrong can cause you to be expelled from college or have a fine levied on your business so large that it is meant to destroy your company, forcing you to close your doors.
Social media sites have become the self appointed arbiters of good versus ungood. Speech codes are strictly enforced if you disagree with the left, but not so much if you are on the left.
Sara Jeong, a New York Times editor, has a Twitter feed full of the worst kind of racist, sexist, bigoted bile imaginable. All of it is aimed at whites, men and Christians, so Twitter does nothing to punish her. By contrast, Candace Owens copied several of Jeong's tweets, changing white to Jewish or men to women or Christian to Muslim. Twitter immediately locked Owens account and kept it locked out until there was a torrent of anger from the right so overwhelming that news stories began to appear about it. Only then did Twitter lift her lockout. It is significant to note that prior to the outpouring of support for Owens, Twitter informed her that the lockout would only end when she agreed to delete the offending tweets, meaning Twitter was employing the Orwellian tactic of making her agree that she was guilty by forcing her to impose her own punishment.
This nation was founded on the idea that each of us has the unquestioned right to our own views and the absolute right to disagree. The left, by striking out against those freedoms, is attempting to drive a stake in the heart of what America has always been so they can then replace it with their view of how things should be. One need only to look around at the nations where they have succeeded in imposing their will to know how that turns out. In Venezuela, people are starving because of government mismanagement. Complaining about it brings about police beatings, imprisonment or being killed on the street by the police without an arrest or trial. In China, all forms of protest involve the protesters being very careful to make it known they love their government and merely wish to inform their leaders of areas of possible improvement. Otherwise, the get the Tiananmen Square treatment. Even in Western Europe, which use to be an advanced society, if you dare to speak out against Muslim immigrants raping local girls, you have to make very sure you do not mention Islam. Otherwise, you go to prison for a hate crime, all because you didn't like seeing young girls in your neighborhood raped by Muslim gangs.
The time to put a stop to this is now. Right this minute. Stand up for your beliefs and dare anyone to tell you that you are not allowed to speak out. Vote against the left in every position of government until they get the message and the current crop of leftist politicians have all withered away and been replaced by America loving moderates.
Don't give in to them, not one inch, not ever. Only by becoming a brick wall to their nonsense can you hope to protect freedom for yourselves and for the next generation.