Opinion
FACE OFF: The left’s attack on free speech has serious consequences
By Gavin Meade ’20
February 2, 2017
Tags opinion
Freedom of speech as we know it is under attack, and if one of the core tenets of our democracy falls, we all lose. Anyone with the faintest political awareness and common sense can see the stormy and polarized political climate in which we find ourselves in, and the left is largely to blame for this. That’s right, I said the left is to blame. Take a deep breath and buckle up.
First, I want to make a few things perfectly clear. I’m a bleeding heart liberal and have been my entire life. I remember staying up late with my parents in 2008 and celebrating with them when Obama was elected, and I clearly remember the heartbreak and fear I felt on election day eight years later. I’m from Fort Myers, Florida. My district, like most of Florida in this past election, went red. I have friends and family who support Trump as well as friends and family who ardently campaigned against him. I’ve had the opportunity to see first- hand the complications that politics can bring to a high school, social dynamics and family life.
Last Tuesday, I took to Facebook and did something that I haven’t done in months: I wrote a post. I felt compelled to share my opinion. I wrote about the hate and intolerance in modern politics and how both sides of the aisle contribute to the ongoing schism in this country. That post helped get me here, and if you’re still reading, I’d encourage you to hang on with me for just a little longer. Specifically, I want to focus on how the left silences those who oppose us, a tactic that jeopardizes freedom of speech and contributed directly to Trump’s victory.
It’d be horribly uncouth of me to continue this article any longer without defining what I mean by “the left.” For the purposes of this article, the left encompasses those who identify as members of the Democratic Party and are passionate in their beliefs and viewpoints. This label is predominantly applied to individuals but can and will also apply to universities and the media through the course of this article.
It’s not an unfair assumption that most of the people reading this see themselves as more left-leaning than right-leaning. Many of you probably took part in the marches after the election, or more recently, in the Women’s March. What I’m about to say may offend you, and if it does, then I urge you to please attempt to rationally think it through rather than dismiss it. You are part of the problem; you are aiding and abetting the division in this country. On this campus, people who voted for Trump were ridiculed and verbally attacked on election night and in the days after. Many students feel unable to voice their opinions because of the overwhelmingly negative stereotypes associated with Trump voters. Things are not as black and white as they are made out to be. Not everyone who voted for Trump wants to ban Muslims from this country, just as not everyone who voted against him is a tree-hugger.
Many on the left hold the deeply counterproductive belief that we are different from those on the right because we possess greater basic humanity. But because we are so intolerant of anyone whose views differ from our own, we think that they must hate everyone who is not a white male with a strong socioeconomic background. This sense of condescension and hateful rhetoric against nearly half of the country is palpable. When has it ever been acceptable to look down on someone for their beliefs or political ideology? Why do we assume that just because Susan voted for Trump, or didn’t vote for Clinton, that she’s a deplorable human being?
Most people chose not to vote for Clinton because she offered no palpable change, not because they want to overturn the last eight years of social progress and return to darker days in American history. Trump represents a change—a terrifying change, but change nonetheless. Clinton on the other hand…not so much. She protected corporate interest and didn’t report to anyone that questions from the debate were leaked to her in advance.
Our argument is not won by hurling labels or insults. The key here is discussion. If you are unable to have a discussion with someone who doesn’t agree with you, then you’re creating a situation in which someone like Donald Trump can be elected as the president of these “United” States. We have decided that any other opinion or way of looking at the world is unacceptable. If you’re on the right, you’re a racist—an outsider in the cultural zeitgeist. If you deviate even slightly from the prevailing view on what is considered acceptable or what is just, you are attacked for merely offering your opinion.
That is why people wait until they are in the voting booth to express themselves. In the booth there is no blame or shame; you can finally express your beliefs. That’s why all of the polls and articles run by news outlets were so inaccurate. The left doesn’t allow anyone to think differently; we’ve made people unable articulate their position.
If you disagree with me, I encourage you to engage with me rather than dismiss me. I’ll close with a quote from a former Marine: “I pledged allegiance to the flag every morning inside an internment camp. I would never burn one, but I’d die to protect the right to do so.”
Let’s not lose debate, and let’s not lose free speech. Engage. Challenge. Don’t bully or belittle someone because they don’t think the same way you do.
Don’t be part of the problem.