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Free speech isn’t a tricky concept. It just needs to be applied universally and especially to the opinions and words of people you disagree with. Take some time and read the whole essay, it is worth your time.
“Another meme popular with the enemy is “calling bigotry an opinion is like calling arsenic a flavor”. Again, in plain English, “any opinion that I personally define as bigotry should not be tolerated”. To the jihadist or the Christian fundamentalist, any criticism or mockery of their own religion constitutes bigotry. And so it goes. The crux of the thing is who gets to define “bigotry” or whatever category of opinions is deemed intolerable and thus not protected free speech.
The people who make these kinds of assertions always assume that it is they, or people like them, who would have the power to define what is intolerant and thus intolerable. Don’t forget that in the near future it could be president DeSantis and a passel of legislators like Marjorie Taylor Greene who will be empowered to make that decision. The principle of free expression of opinion as an inviolable and seamless, yes, moral standard would stand robustly against them, because it would stand equally against any such attack regardless of which views are being suppressed. Once you decide certain opinions are worthy of suppression on whatever grounds, you have no principle to stand on when your opponents turn on you and try to suppress yours.”
Driving to work on Saturday and Sunday I tune to CBC to get an idea of what is going on in Alberta and the world. On Sunday though I was quite perplexed. The topic was – I think – bear safety.
Bear safety, especially during spring, is a relevant topic in many parts of Alberta as human and wild habitats are now entangled. Reminding humans not to be stupid around bears saves human and bear lives. I was expecting a rundown of the basic tips for not being an idiot around bears. Something like this (also found on CBC).
You know, relevant fact based information that will useful most people. But that didn’t happen.
Instead, I was introduced to ‘indigenous ways’ of coexisting with bears, and how important it was to work with indigenous Canadians. The news piece featured a short interview with an individual who said that coexisting with bears was the indigenous way of life and it was culturally important feature of their heritage.
What I took from the piece was that it was important to, in an ‘indigenous way’ coexist with bears – because Indigenous Canadian Culture…
What was missing from the news story was any sort of factual information on keeping yourself safe during the annual spring bear awakening season(!). I’m pretty sure the phrase ‘indigenous ways of knowing” was repeated at least three times during the piece, and I thought to myself, “What additional knowledge is being added to the topic of bear safety?”.
I’m guessing the answer is pretty close to zero. Biologists have done a fairly good job at studying, recording, and making knowledgeable observations about bear behaviour why not share some of those with the public? But no, our national broadcaster decided to make the story about (undefined) mystical ways of knowing how to coexist with bears.
I know mornings can be a slow news time, but maybe CBC, just maybe make your news stories contain well, news?
The Paradox of Tolerance has been misused by those, mostly the activist left, in an attempt to quell freedom of speech and expression. Find the full essay here.
Transgender ideology is being debated and discussed in legislatures. If you value material reality you need to get involved and show up and participate otherwise this bullshit will get even more of a foothold in public institutions.
So brutal. Let’s erase females from society in the name of ‘trans inclusivity’. Absolutely not. We will use terms that accurately describe the reality we all share.
bleatmop
Mystro
The Arbourist
Dead Wild Roses 
Your opinions…