The trees are blooming along with the daffodils here in Greenville, North Carolina. Today I may be able to make an appointment to get my vaccine to prevent COVID-19. Hope springs eternal they say. Here is today's rant.
There is a lot of talk about censorship and free speech lately. When speech incites violence, it is no longer free. Language is a tool. The written and spoken word is used to communicate thoughts, ideas, art, love…and even hate. When our words inspire destructive impulses, especially in groups or masses of people who would never behave in such a manner on their own, then society is in danger of disintegrating into chaos.
The story of a shovel is one I would use to illustrate my point...
So,
a shovel is a tool designed, manufactured, and used for the purpose of digging,
of moving soil, sand, or aggregate one scoop at a time from one place to
another. When a person uses that shovel as intended, but the end result is the
undermining of a foundation to a building, we would examine the wisdom of the
person wielding the shovel. There may be severe consequences to their destructive act. Whether it is through malice, or neglect, or ignorance, gravity will not
discriminate. Should a person be shown continually and with full fore knowledge
to undermine the foundations of structures with that shovel, they could be
charged, tried, and convicted of wrongdoing, and their right to bear and keep
shovels may be suspended for a time. However, should a person use that same
tool for a purpose not intended, say to bash in the skulls of other human
beings, that person would be restrained, and the shovel immediately taken away
so they could no longer murder people. In any case, it would not matter why a person would want to destroy buildings or bash in skulls. We may even understand their motivations. We may even agree with their point of view. Yet those who support the destruction of property and death of fellow citizens are hopefully few and not representative of society as a whole.
Face Book, Twitter and the rest are also tools. These tools are designed and maintained to make their owners and operators very, very rich. They are not media companies falling under the jurisdiction of journalistic ethics. Yet they have witnessed their products used to threaten society in such a way so as to undermine the very foundations of democracy. They are obligated to take action, not out of any altruistic motivation, but by sound business sense. They realize that the destruction of their user base is not good for business. In essence, they are regulating themselves. Are they bowing to pressure? You bet. Market pressure. The majority is speaking. A majority which is no longer silent.
What I would say to those wielding the "Free Speech" tool is use your shovel wisely lest you be buried under the rubble of your own hubris.
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