Threats to free speech

Does it not make you shake your head in disbelief and despair that in the third decade of the 21st century there exists a frightening number of people who are jubilant that the ‘Satanic Verses’ author, Sir Salman Rushdie, was very nearly stabbed to death?  And, while it is reassuring that the overwhelming majority of people believe that no one should be killed for writing a book or, in the case of JK Rowling, receive ominous threats for voicing her support for Rushdie and her entirely legitimate stance on transgenderism, of greater concern is the disappointment some have exhibited because Rushdie survived his ordeal and wasn’t killed – which speaks volumes about the mindset of those who seek grievance where none exists, and insult when none is given.

It is reported that Rushdie has life-altering injuries, but his survival is testament to the EMT’s, doctors and surgeons who kept him alive, an outcome which all reasonable people should give thanks for.  Heck, some might even thank god for his ‘divine intervention’…though, which god they’re giving praise to is a question that only the religious can answer.

It is also reported that sales of the largely forgotten book have surged several hundred percent.  Sic transit.  Ultimately we should all give thanks and prayers – metaphorically of course – for the survival of a fine example and proponent of free speech, and whilst we are at it, we should express sentiments to all those who bang the drum for our Western values; values which bestow on us so many freedoms that too many of us often take for granted; values which the enemies of democracy loathe with every fibre of their being.

The attack on Rushdie is an attack on us all, a brief yet vivid skirmish in an insidious fight fought with the sole aim of dismantling our much-cherished values and freedoms, an outcome to strike fear in the hearts of all those who dare to criticise and question, and, yes, ridicule anything that does not adhere to antiquated or revisionist dogma.  Some even say that concerns over the fate of free speech are unfounded, and that those voicing such concerns are wrong-thinkers, racists, homophobes, xenophobes and anti-religionists, I disagree.  The perception that free speech is under attack may well be an unrealised one, but there’s no doubting that far too many of us appear impotent in the face of the new Woke religion – that word again – and its strange new credos, including the rewriting of our warts and all history, the bending of the knee to illiberal precepts, cancel culture, no platforming and the imposition of critical race theory, all of it policed by oh-so-pious, virtue signalling keyboard warriors.

Is history not replete with examples of such intolerances, from the book-burning of the Nazi’s to the fate of Galileo under The Inquisition.  On immigration, Brexit, transgenderism, antisemitism, terrorism, capitalism v socialism, rich v poor, the political left v the political right, and on a whole host of other issues where opinions are irreconcilably divided, behind every furore involving the shifting sands of free speech, censorship, offence and political correctness, numerous questions of principle arise in their wake.  It’s a problem that keeps arising, and it should be tackled head-on.  Every society requires some general guidance on what we can and cannot say if we are to travel unharmed the increasingly dangerous highways that those four ideas represent.

The salient point around which all must revolve is that free speech is a fundamental of such great significance that without it we could only have the most limited society and possibilities for individuals.  Such a thing should go without saying, right?  Well, remember that the next time you see a politician squirming when asked to answer the ‘can a woman have a penis?’, question.  Whilst it would be fair to say that, for all its importance, free speech is not an absolute and has to be responsibly and maturely used.  Without free speech we cannot lay claim to other civil rights and liberties or defend them when they are under attack.  Without free speech our lives would be as closed as our mouths.

It would be great to think that, in a perfect world, disparate views might reach an accord.  You don’t have to agree with someone whose religion tells them that 2 and 2 make 5.  Improve and win your argument.  And so, to all those who refuse to be kowtowed and silenced by the fanatics.  I say this – ‘We will not speak insultingly or act discriminatorily – even indirectly – with aspect to your race, age, sex, or disability, if any; we will not do so because it is unacceptable and bloody rude to disrespect someone for things over which they have no control.  But, with respect, to what you CAN choose to be and say and think, such as matters concerning your political and religious affiliations, it is open season’.  Feeling offended is no defence from an attack on your most cherished views or beliefs by those who do not share them, and violent retaliation is simply telling the world that you have lost the argument.

https://insidetime.org/threats-to-free-speech/

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

http://jonjayray.com/blogall.html More blogs

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