It seems that today it’s a rare occasion to state an opinion without automatically being labeled as a member of a political party. School, entertainment, sports, work, and just about every other aspect of life has become increasingly political, with the concern of saying the wrong thing weighing on us like wet clothes. It’s bizarre to think about how the country that offers people the freedom of speech has become ever judgmental when one chooses to use it. As children, we are constantly told that millions of people all over the world risk everything to come to this country almost exclusively for the rights given to them in the First Amendment of the Constitution, and more specifically the freedom of speech. This precious right has been the center of intellectual philosophy for quite some time with men like John Milton, Alexander Meiklejohn, Edwin Baker, etc. each stating their reasoning as to why the protection of free speech is so vital to a flourishing government, but it is Benedict Spinoza’s concept of “stable change” that particular stood out to me. Spinoza, a Dutch philosopher, believed that free speech allows individuals to vent when frustrated with the government and that if this ability was taken away from them, the anger and annoyance would boil over into violent outbursts. He also made the point to discuss how allowing such verbal release enabled the government to be more aware of groups that could potentially cause actual damage to the community through acts of forcefulness. If people don’t feel like they can voice their opinions, then they will surely act in ways to make them unavoidable. 2020 was a year of many, many things but perhaps the loudest feature of its personality was the peoples' use of violence while attempting to make their opinions inescapable. The most recent example of this is the capital riot that took place on January 6th, 2021. This event happened for several reasons, but perhaps the most prominent reason the originally peaceable gathering turned violent was their extreme frustration with what they felt was extreme censorship. GOP pollsters have found that censorship is the primary topic lighting up the conservative platform. Conservatives are tired of seeing ordinary, hardworking people lose their jobs and livelihood because they simply stated an opinion that their higher-ups didn’t agree with. Murdoch, who is the chair of News Corporation, which owns the New York Times, published a story discussing Hunter Biden during the presidential race and was shunned, attacked, and countlessly mocked by big tech companies in just about every way. Murdoch’s response was, “too many people have fought too hard in too many places for freedom of speech to be suppressed by this awful woke orthodoxy.” When analyzing the percentage of U.S. adults that believe that censorship is occurring, the Pew Research Center found that 3 quarters of adults believe that it is either highly likely or somewhat likely that social media sites are indeed going after political viewpoints that they don’t agree with. When taking a closer look at conservatives, 9-10 Republicans and independents that lean towards the Republican party, say that it’s at least somewhat likely that media platforms are censoring their political viewpoints. If we don’t allow for conversation and all viewpoints to be presented on media sites, then we have failed as citizens to fight back and protect the rights that make this country a beacon of light to so many. It is Spinoza’s philosophy that warns against the dangers of violent outcomes, and yet it is this philosophy that has been lost under years and years of constitutional abuse.
Sources:
Easley, Jonathan. "Conservatives Lean Into Warnings On 'Wave Of Censorship'". Thehill, 2021, https://thehill.com/homenews/media/536000-conservatives-lean-into-warnings-on-wave-of-censorship. Accessed 4 Feb 2021.
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