Free Speech vs Political Manipulation

Giving voice to an idea to whomever and wherever is an act of courage and free speech. Allowing that speech is a construct of governance, creed, philosophy and value. All of the latter are manmade. Yet sharing any part of them is not automatic. It is made possible by people, however.

Not liking the voice or the content of the message is not the matter at issue. What is at issue is whether the voice and message is allowed to sound. That’s where political manipulation enters the picture. Throughout America’s history, free speech has been a central fixture. And yet it has almost always been in dispute based solely on content being disagreeable to someone.

Manipulation is the sole arbiter of this nonsense. Content is the message and needs to be heard and read, it needs to be thought over. It needs weighing. Only then can it be accepted or rejected. Either is not possible without the hearing and thinking. So, what’s the problem?

Controlling what others can hear matters to those who wish their point of view to become the ruling one, the one enacted in law, or empowered by markets to thrive. Putting the kibosh on a point of view is done by those who feel their point of view might not stack up with the others. Their personal interests may suffer. They may lose influence and power. Or wealth.

The motivation to control what is said and shared is powerful. For proof of that statement, scan social media to observe conflicting voices and the lengths used to abase or bury a competing idea. Such is politics. All too frequently, the people entrusted to safeguard our freedoms are the very ones taking it away.

What must we control to keep freedom of speech free? What must we do?

May 13, 2024


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Intimacy

As we mature, we become deeply involved in relationships. Some of this is basic family relations – siblings, parental – and the like. Next is friends who enter our homes and we theirs. Neighbors, classmates, mutual hobbyists and so forth. Then we develop friendships that go much deeper. We comfort one another when we are hurting physically or emotionally. We discuss the matters of life and learn much more about ourselves and each other. We can even anticipate how others will react to various situations and stimuli. Good friendships do not spread to everyone we know. No, good friendships are special, close and deeply personal. We focus attention and brainpower on these few friends. Some special relationships focus on specific topics of interest and importance. Yes, we have specialized friendships. Most common. But one day, we get to know one person very well. An emotional connection forms with deep roots. A need to know the person more fully expands in personal ways. We sense this b...
Read more

Bits & Pieces

Pie: Apple pie more specifically. With Thanksgiving just passed, many of us enjoyed a good apple pie. Sure, there was pumpkin to accompany the turkey, but in our family multiple pies are offered in the holidays. Apple is surely one. Pecan, pumpkin and others, too. But I almost always choose apple. When I was in college, I was asked what kind of pie did I eat most often. In front of my mom, I answered apple, because I was always looking for a pie as good as mom’s own. Of course my mother was pleased, but it was a true statement just the same. When I was married, Ann’s pie was darned good. Her mother’s recipe. But we fiddled with the recipe until it took on its own generational name, and boy, was it good! Today I still order apple pie for dessert because I am always looking for a great pie to challenge our family recipes. I rarely do find such a prize. Do others do the same? Do you search for a great pie of choice, continually? If you do, what’s your story? Why do you do this? ...
Read more

Remembering Tom Sherlock

Tom Sherlock died on Wednesday, April 3rd. He was 65 years old and did not survive a heart surgery. That was his unexpected end and sad enough. But there is more to his story. Tom joined Dan Schuyler and George Safford to create what became the Village Chronicles, a weekly newspaper serving Warrenville, Illinois. That paper expanded to serve Winfield and then West Chicago. The paper published for eight years and built a good reputation for itself. Tom served the paper in several ways. He was our information technology guru, provided hardware and software to support the paper's operations. He was our sole bookkeeper, accountant and financial manager. He designed our distribution process and provided office space for meetings and layout and typesetting. His efforts supported the work of 32 volunteers who wrote and reported on the communities we served.  The newspaper broke even financially most of the time, but it was a struggle. Tom managed to find money to keep the newspaper afloat...
Read more