Censorship in Today's Media: Why Should Opinions be Silenced?

Let's talk for a moment about censorship... Good 'ol censorship is an idea that everyone under the sun might be inclined to say is terrible because, people typically don't like to be censored or restricted from their freedom of speech and expression. But do we really live by the principles of freedom that we claim to believe?

There are a great deal of political, progressive, and social movements, which is great! This has allowed various minority groups to be recognized and has permitted American society to provide a greater amount of tolerance for people regardless of their race, gender, identity, or sexual orientation. This is wonderful! And we have made so much progress over the past 50+ years because of it.  The not so wonderful thing is the fact that anybody not on board with these ideas is shut up.

I'm not saying I'm in favor of discrimination or ideas that are so obviously archaic, outdated, and stupid. What I am saying is that there needs to be freedom to say things even if people disagree with them. There's a quote from Evelyn Beatrice Hall that applies perfectly to this idea:

Evelyn Beatrice Hall

"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."

This is the hallmark of any free society: having access to the right to say what you want and to express what you truly believe. If what someone has to say is offensive, instead of attacking it with policy and legislation, what people should do is attack it with influence and ideas. Show the world why an idea is worth fighting for and how to implement it; in other words, we need conversations rather than monologues, dialogue rather than social limitations. Increased censorship will only cause a counter-culture to develop, ultimately forcing freedom-loving people to fight forced restrictions.

The internet is a forum where ideas can be shared freely, which is a good thing. It allows ideas to flow as they will in a raw and uncensored way. At the same time though, there are pushes to restrict our privileges on the internet in order to prevent "hate speech" in a culture dominated by a call for complete social justice. What's crazy about this is that a lot of what is being protested is not actually "hate speech," but honest opinions that are seen as offensive to very sensitive individuals.  Hate speech itself should be discouraged, but we must recognize the fact that there is a huge difference between hateful words and valid points of view.  

What I suggest to combat misunderstanding of opinions as "hateful" is that society obtain thicker skin in order to avoid being offended by nearly anything. Offense is a choice, my friends. The right to "Not be Offended" doesn't lie with society, but with the individual. Avoid censorship and let free dialogue roam. Let's be tolerant and loving to others, but also thick-skinned and mature.  This is how we facilitate good dialogue on important topics--we must be open to hearing things that we might not agree with.  If we are not willing to hear other viewpoints, how can we expect to express our own?

Pragmus Alpha
CEO

*Edited by Pragmus Sigma