Freedom Requires Free Speech and Free Thought - themed Laptop Sleeve
This laptop sleeve cover features a grassroots message featuring an eagle and words highlighting the link between free speech, free thought and liberty.
The words of the message are -
Freedom requires Free Speech. We must be able to think for ourselves, and say what we think out loud - whether we are right or wrong, serious or silly, or we offer praise or criticism.
How can we believe ourselves to be free - if we are not free to say what we think, but are required to say what those who rule over us indicate we are allowed to say? And if we don't comply, and our words are subject to suppression or censorship; or else we experience a chill effect, and feel we must shut up and hide our opinions - how is that liberty?
It is available here.
https://www.zazzle.com/freedom_requires_free_speech_themed_laptop_cover-124882932626015882
"To know who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize." (Voltaire)
How can we believe ourselves to be free if today's Orwellian Big Brother "Thought Police" spend so much time and effort hiding or otherwise suppressing, or outright censoring information that reflects facts, ideas and thoughts they do not approve of? How can there be an informed public, or informed debate - if powerful agenda-driven entities control the information the public can access, or what they are allowed to say or think?
That's not freedom.
That's 1984-style Big Brother totalitarianism.
"Political Correctness" is a weasel word, 1984 style, totalitarian term for censorship - on the basis that certain words are deemed illegitimate because a person or group's feelings might be hurt if the terms are used.
What constitutes politeness, tact and hate - are culturally and personally subjective. Decisions by the Big Brother Browsers to censor, based on their subjective assessments of politeness and tact and what in their opinion constitutes hate - is a dangerous direction for internet systems that are very vulnerable to totalitarian style abuse by those who control how the information it possesses, is either pushed, suppressed or censored.
Hate is a common emotion that virtually everyone will experience to some degree in their life-times. Those who have been involved in a messy divorce or custody battle or legal battle over assets etc - don't generally feel lovingly about their opponents. Difficult relationships with neighbours, or co-workers, or competitors can bring out the worst side of our personas. But despite the prevalence of hate as an emotion, people who are very seriously pi**ed off with someone rarely ever do them physical harm.
Certainly it is reasonable and necessary to censor incitement to criminal activity or violence.
Incitement, or threats of violence are likely strong indicators of a dangerous level of hate.
But censoring incitement or threats of violence should apply to everyone, including elites and government officials. Many wars of aggression have been started and maintained due to speech by elites - threatening, inciting and glorifying violence. Does this get censored? No.
Free Speech was not universally protected to protect speech we like. That doesn't need protection. Bar incitement to crime or violence - it is to protect speech we won't necessarily like. Criticism is hard for anyone to take. But we don't learn much about how others really see us from enforced praise or silence; so we are unlikely to improve ourselves. And we are unable to openly debate important issues if someone else deems certain views insensitive to a protected group, and has the power to censor information or views that group does not like.
That's not liberty. That's being treated as a puppet in a totalitarian state.