Freedom of expression is a founding principle of modern Western culture. To safeguard free speech is to protect freedom and democracy.
Attacks on free expression seem to be growing more frequent, more extreme, and more ridiculous.
• A writer for thenation.com took Donald Trump to task for supporting the right of NFL’s Washington, DC franchise to retain its name, Redskins.
The misguided conclusion is that Trump is, obviously, a racist. It is that excuse — racism, or something akin to it — that seems to be the commonly held justification for shushing us; particularly those of us to the right of center.
• The leftist Premier of Ontario has purposed to expunge the English language of terms “mother” and “father”. Kathleen Wynne, who openly touts her lesbianism, prefers gender-neutral terms such as “birth parent”.
Who would have foreseen that saying “mother” would be considered sexist?
• In Australia, a cartoonist was cited for drawing an Aboriginal father who couldn’t remember his toddler’s name. Bill Leak was attempting to underscore the dysfunctional families that plague his nation’s aboriginal community. Liberals thought his artistry in bad taste and promptly labeled it “racist”.
• The absurd notion of cultural appropriation has been added to the liberals’ arsenal of guilt-provoking weaponry. A case in point are accusations leveled against rapper Honey G. The white woman has come under fire for daring to be “racially insensitive” by performing in a genre dominated by blacks.
• Halloween has always been a holiday of free expression. The regressive left has been vigilant in patrolling college parties — not for drunken excesses — but for racially insensitive costumes.
When a student dressed as the Grim Reaper showed up at an Edinburgh University Student Union Halloween event, he was turned away at the door.
The reason? The student blackened his face to match his costume. White people who blacken their faces are, of course, considered racists.
• Olympian Louis Smith took heat after making a humorous video lampooning Muslims. The silver medalist and a friend pretended to pray while shouting “Allahu Akbar”.
Smith has been suspended for two months by British Gymnastics. Had the video mocked Christianity, Smith likely would have not been punished.
• Liberals, themselves, are not exempt from accusations of racial insensitivity. Amy Schumer was criticized for her video parody of Beyoncé. Because Schumer is white and Beyoncé is black, the video has been labeled “racist”.
Comments on YouTube criticized the performance. One wrote, “Racist… culturally appropriating other people’s creations… you steal a song specifically representing empowerment of marginalized black women & mock the song? You are literally what’s wrong with society. You should be ashamed of yourself. So disgusting. ” Another wrote “wow. just wow. racist much? ”
Note the effort to shame Schumer and, vicariously, the rest of us.
• A cashier in Britain found herself under attack after suggesting a little boy select a blue egg rather than a pink egg. The eggs contain superhero figures.
The boy’s mother objected, shaming the cashier by accusing her of shaming her son. “I’ve heard of comments being made to parents before but this was the first time I’ve personally experienced gender shaming. I was really taken aback by it.”
Gender shaming?
From the leftist perspective, the cashier should have kept her mouth shut. Again, regressives use guilt and shaming as leverage to manipulate our minds and calibrate our thinking with their own distorted world view.
• In Austria, one can be prosecuted for free expression.
Christoph Biro, an editor for the widely read Kronen Zeitung, faces charges after writing these words: “testosterone driven Syrians”.
Biro was freely expressing his opinion that Muslim migrants had become a social nuisance. He condemned Afghans for slashing train seats and accused other migrants of “extremely aggressive sexual” assaults.
Such expressions are illegal in Austria. Biro may lose his employment after 39 years as a journalist.
• 3,000 Britons signed a petition demanding the term “Essex Girl” be removed from the Oxford English Dictionary. The term is similar to “Valley Girl” in the United States and is considered by some to be derogatory.
The publisher of Oxford English Dictionary ignored the petitions and vowed to retain the term. Political correctness be damned.
Image ID:150408950; Copyright: Andrea Danti;shutterstock_150408950.jpg
