The Left's Campaign to Silence Opposing Views

[Black Orchid]

This is an American article so I am putting it here but left wing progressives worldwide follow the same agenda.

At its best, politics is a battlefield in the war of ideas. Ideally, all sides are heard and the best, most persuasive side wins. Faced with arguments that are offensive or wrong, the answer — and one codified in our First Amendment — is more speech rather than attempts to silence the incorrect speaker.

But to the American left this is no longer true. In the bestselling book about the failed 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign Shattered, the authors detailed the philosophy of the left: there is a cost for Democrats who don’t follow the establishment blindly.

In 2017, in an effort led by Hillary’s former lawyer Marc Elias, establishment Democrats are now attacking Democrats on the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity for having the temerity to try to bring bipartisan balance to the investigation of the electoral system. Elias implied that long-serving Democrat Secretary of State, Bill Gardner of New Hampshire, is not a real Democrat because he accepted an appointment to serve on the commission.

Next, Elias’ ally Rick Hasen wrote an op-ed calling on another Democrat, Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, to resign from the commission because Hasen, like other liberals, has pre-determined that what the commission will do and say will be offensive and wrong before the commission has even begun its work. Instead of wanting Democrats to have a seat at the table on President Trump’s commission — to hopefully represent the Democrats’ perspective and engage in an intellectual discussion for the benefit of the country as a whole — Hasen declares that Dunlap’s speech and participation would serve no purpose. The speech of the commission must be opposed before it even occurs, because of its association with President Trump. These lions of the law, known for their skills of argument, are apparently fearful they will be unable to counter the findings if they allow the commission to do its work.

And these Democrat thought leaders are influencing a whole new generation. Take for example the recent incident at Bethune-Cookman University, where Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos was booed while graduating students stood and turned their backs or walked out during her commencement address. Apparently DeVos was guilty of saying “offensive” things like: “One of the hallmarks of higher education, and of democracy, is the ability to converse with and learn from those with whom we disagree.” Similarly, but on a smaller scale, graduating students walked out of a commencement speech by Vice President Mike Pence at the University of Notre Dame.

Do students have the right to protest, boo, and walk out? Absolutely. That is part of their right to free speech, just as DeVos and Pence have a right to speak. But it is a hallmark of intellectual maturity and valuing democratic ideals to counter speech with which you disagree by presenting better reasoning and ideas, not by attempting to shut down the offending speaker.

If graduating snowflakes, educated in the political bubble that is the modern university, cannot manage to sit through a bland, formulaic, motivational commencement address from someone who holds differing political views, how can they expect to engage as citizens in our democratic form of government? America is based on the idea that competing viewpoints—more speech, not less speech—ensures that the truth prevails, and our system of government is structured around that ideal.

However, progressives prove daily that they do not share this belief and that they think only their ideas should be heard. They spend time and energy arguing that their voices are the only ones that matter while wasting the opportunity to argue their opponents down. This is an increasingly frequent reality and should be troubling to everyone, but perhaps especially to liberals. Silencing speech is, after all, the philosophy of totalitarian governments and is antithetical to the freedoms guaranteed us here in the United States.

The left wants to institute a heckler’s veto, where if the speech is offensive to the listener, the listener’s right not to be offended (which isn’t actually a right) trumps the speaker’s right to speak (which is a constitutionally protected right). Courts and legal thinkers have soundly rejected the heckler’s veto, because the First Amendment right to free speech extends even to offensive speech.

And now liberals take their right to be offended one step further, declaring not just the speech itself offensive but the speaker, deeming conservatives themselves offensive. And if they wish to do away with offensive speech, what do they hope happens to their political opposition? The impulse to silence opposing speech doesn’t disappear at the lecture hall door. It extends into the big world of jobs and neighborhoods and even to the arena of elections and political speech, where our First Amendment rights are strongest.

>snip<

And where does their crusade leave us? The left no longer wants to even try to win the debate; instead they want to silence their opponents. The establishment left’s fear of speech should be troubling to all.

https://dailycaller.com/2017/06/01/the- ... ing-views/

[Nicole]

Excellent article, Black Orchid.

You know where I work, and it is full of left wing progressives. I have a work laptop, which I can use for “personal use”. That said at home I always disable the SIM, and connect to my home broadband. That’s because I deeply fear I would get sacked for my views.

Brian is an excellent example of the progressive lefts views on free speech. If you’re Pauline Hanson or milo or me or you or valkie or sprintetc etc etc, your views shouldn’t be aired.

If you doubt me, take a look at DR under his adminship, and what he dumps. That is, assuming it’s still running.

[brian ross]

Wrong, "Nicole". As far as I am concerned you can air your views. What you and other Right Wingers should not do is indulge in endless lies and bullshit attacking me or the Left or Muslims or Black people or anybody, basically. You should not indulge in Racist/Xenophobic/Islamophobic/Sexist/Homophobic bullshit. You should treat your opponents fairly and refrain from ad hominem insults. However, it seems you and other Right Wingers are incapable of that. Tsk, tsk.

[Black Orchid]

Shakes head.

[Serial Brain 9]

COnservative sites have been under attack since Trump won the 2016 election.

Changing algorithms so that these conservative sites don’t show up in searches etc - Billions of views to conservative sites have been lost.

[sprintcyclist]

Excellent article, Black Orchid.

You know where I work, and it is full of left wing progressives. I have a work laptop, which I can use for “personal use”. That said at home I always disable the SIM, and connect to my home broadband. That’s because I deeply fear I would get sacked for my views.

Brian is an excellent example of the progressive lefts views on free speech. If you’re Pauline Hanson or milo or me or you or valkie or sprintetc etc etc, your views shouldn’t be aired.

If you doubt me, take a look at DR under his adminship, and what he dumps. That is, assuming it’s still running.

I agree

[IQS.RLOW]

You should treat your opponents fairly and refrain from ad hominem insults.

Wrong...endless lies.. bullshit ...Racist...Xenophobic...Islamophobic...Sexist...Homophobic

Perhaps a mirror Gaffa taped to your fucking forehead might help you understand the concept of irony, you ignorant fuckstain...

[cods]

greg is another one he deletes anything even questions he cant answer bang they are gone..

talk about censorship.....

all you can do is avoid dont hit back dont do the same thing...rise above it...

I will always draw a line at spreading HATE and violence.....

lefties never seem to understand that what they do is the same thing.. only its done as if they care and are supporting of others..

sanctimonious in other words.....look at me......

good people get off their bums and get their hands dirty trying to make amends.....

lefts throw dart and make a loud look at me noise...with words

like calling people RACIST without any evidence whatever... they are so well known for name calling...

it now comes natural...

[IQS.RLOW]

like calling people RACIST without any evidence whatever...

As I have said before, accusations from the left come from their innate self loathing due to their own unexamined guilt.

Though I have no doubt there are some marxists who gleefully and recklessly toss the phobias and 'isms' with unfettered abandon simply to dilute the terms. An accusation of "racist" or "xenaphobia" is now easily dismissed as being leftist histrionics from screeching autistic, leaving real fascists, racists and racism issues untouched to ferment and eat at the fabric of society.

Obviously the left do this so when their dark underbelly of seething racism and fascism eventually surfaces, they find it easier to ignore their guilt about the wholesale adoption of it to sharpen their totalitarian claws. They can simply claim their free pass, gifted to themselves from their word dilution.

[sprintcyclist]

cods - is greg a mod ?

Surely, you jest.