Political discussion in a vibrant, healthy democracy will include anger at politicians, [View all]
Last edited Fri Mar 21, 2014, 03:02 AM - Edit history (1)
sometimes expressed very colorfully. Understanding that is part of being an adult in a country that treasures free speech and political expression.
We've been smelling a lot of authoritarianism in this country lately. I smell a patient, ongoing attempt to change the tacit rules for political discourse in the good old USA.
It is being repeatedly suggested to us that anger toward politicians is somehow unseemly or inappropriate, instead of an expected part of vigorous, passionate political conversation in a representative democracy.
What surreal, Orwellian nonsense, to argue that apologies are owed, or that the community should be collectively offended and demanding of contrition...
[font size=3] ...because someone expressed anger toward a politician on a political discussion board in the United States of America.[/font size]
The demands are not just pathetic and silly to anyone who understands how political discourse in a free country actually works. There's an underlying creepiness to them that fits right in with the constant, weird demands to shut up all criticism as a proof of loyalty...instead of what we as Americans *should* be doing, which is to constantly challenge those hired as our REPRESENTATIVES to explain how their policies will actually represent us.
There's a chill authoritarian wind blowing in this country. We're still at the point where we can laugh off and mock demands like this made on political discussion boards....but we had better damned well be sure to continue mocking and disgracing them, because there are people in power and implementing propaganda campaigns here and across the pond who, in so many other ways...
...brutal resposes to protest, surveillance of protesters, persecution of whistleblowers, assaults on journalism, mass surveillance, orchestrated propaganda campaigns online, etc., etc., etc...
...have already shown their desire and intent to make many types of previously safe dissent not so acceptable anymore.
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-03/15/government-web-censorship
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022666913
http://www.democraticunderground.com/101667724
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