The Price of Freedom
Jan. 18th, 2021 12:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
storytimewithjoeOK, I’ll admit to my own hypocrisy here. While I do believe strongly in freedom of speech, I really have to wonder if it is what is truly best for this nation.
Our founding fathers did an excellent job at not only tackling issues of governance, but into looking as far into the future as they could. However, I think it is safe to say that they could not have anticipated the internet. They could not have imagined lightning-fast communication. They could not have imagined the cultural shifts that took place with instant messaging and the expectation of quick response that so many people have developed. They could not have imagined memes. They could not have imagined lies going viral. They could not have imagined cyber attacks. They could not have imagined the damage that could be done (and has been done) by the spreading of misinformation. And they certainly could not have answered the question of who should be responsible – because fast forward to today, and we haven’t figured that one out, either.
So much of what has happened in this nation over the past four years is a direct result of calculated MISinformation. Whether it be Russian hackers, extremist-groups, or people who just pray on the paranoia and fears of the gullible; America as we knew it has been transformed into an “us versus them” culture that is on high alert. In our lifetimes, none of us have seen what we see today. Right now in D.C., there is a higher military presence ready for action than we have in active war zones – and that is not an exaggeration.
How did we get to this point? We got here because it was allowed. Sadly, “freedom of speech” has been abused to the point of endangering our very democracy.
In many ways, this current presidency is reminiscent of Berlin in the 1940’s. What can we learn from them? In today’s Germany, while many people there enjoy certain freedoms, there are certain things that are NOT allowed. The Nazi party, for instance, is illegal. So is anything that is even vaguely reminiscent of Nazism. Take Scientology, for instance. Here, it is a “religion”. There, they recognize it as the cult that it is, and do not allow it. Why do we allow cults? Because that is the price of our “freedom,” whether it be freedom of speech, freedom of religion, or whatever other freedoms outlined that are out-n-out abused by those who wish to manipulate and benefit from the gift of our founding fathers.
So what is the solution? I wish I knew. If we stay exactly as we are today, we run the risk of again falling into turmoil like we have already (if not worse). If we change, how do we change? Will we insist that the platforms of social media take responsibility for their content? (and if so, how?) Will we refuse to allow manipulators to spread lies and false information? Will we place limitations on our freedoms to do so?
There is no “going back to normal”. The genie is out of the bottle now, and the only place to go is forward. But what will that next chapter look like? I don’t know. I look forward to inauguration day, and to what I consider at least a return to decency and governmental transparency. But I know that it will never be like it once was.
America, what have we learned? And how will we progress?
Our founding fathers did an excellent job at not only tackling issues of governance, but into looking as far into the future as they could. However, I think it is safe to say that they could not have anticipated the internet. They could not have imagined lightning-fast communication. They could not have imagined the cultural shifts that took place with instant messaging and the expectation of quick response that so many people have developed. They could not have imagined memes. They could not have imagined lies going viral. They could not have imagined cyber attacks. They could not have imagined the damage that could be done (and has been done) by the spreading of misinformation. And they certainly could not have answered the question of who should be responsible – because fast forward to today, and we haven’t figured that one out, either.
So much of what has happened in this nation over the past four years is a direct result of calculated MISinformation. Whether it be Russian hackers, extremist-groups, or people who just pray on the paranoia and fears of the gullible; America as we knew it has been transformed into an “us versus them” culture that is on high alert. In our lifetimes, none of us have seen what we see today. Right now in D.C., there is a higher military presence ready for action than we have in active war zones – and that is not an exaggeration.
How did we get to this point? We got here because it was allowed. Sadly, “freedom of speech” has been abused to the point of endangering our very democracy.
In many ways, this current presidency is reminiscent of Berlin in the 1940’s. What can we learn from them? In today’s Germany, while many people there enjoy certain freedoms, there are certain things that are NOT allowed. The Nazi party, for instance, is illegal. So is anything that is even vaguely reminiscent of Nazism. Take Scientology, for instance. Here, it is a “religion”. There, they recognize it as the cult that it is, and do not allow it. Why do we allow cults? Because that is the price of our “freedom,” whether it be freedom of speech, freedom of religion, or whatever other freedoms outlined that are out-n-out abused by those who wish to manipulate and benefit from the gift of our founding fathers.
So what is the solution? I wish I knew. If we stay exactly as we are today, we run the risk of again falling into turmoil like we have already (if not worse). If we change, how do we change? Will we insist that the platforms of social media take responsibility for their content? (and if so, how?) Will we refuse to allow manipulators to spread lies and false information? Will we place limitations on our freedoms to do so?
There is no “going back to normal”. The genie is out of the bottle now, and the only place to go is forward. But what will that next chapter look like? I don’t know. I look forward to inauguration day, and to what I consider at least a return to decency and governmental transparency. But I know that it will never be like it once was.
America, what have we learned? And how will we progress?
