Becoming silenced

[Geri]

It seems the virus did not arrive alone, it brought with it a social change in the way we think and communicate. I have read with horror the control of free speech that is occurring world wide on social media platforms.

Some can argue that it is right to curb speech, it’s not right that people can be offended. But, I disagree, we live in a world with over 7 billion people on the planet, all having their own unique experience of life. It is not only inevitable, but expected that people will draw their own conclusions about other people, races, cultures and countries from their own, unique perspective.

So why shouldn’t they have their say? So what if it offends, maybe those offended should be less sensitive, more open to others opinions and experience

I’ve learnt a lot in my life from listening to other peoples points of view that I neither agree with, understand or believe and in some cases, my judgement has been changed by some encounters.

Maybe we should stop judging things as so black and white, right and wrong, why can’t we all be right, but just have seen it from a different perspective?

Anyway, I don’t like the way the world is heading and I do not agree that social media companies should be the controllers of what we see and hear, surely that is for us to make our own mind up, block or scroll past.

[Caree]

I have to admit, we do seem to be living in a bizarre world and I really don’t know where it is going to end up! I don’t think the direction we are taking is a healthy one.

[Teal]

I’m not sure who is driving this new mentality, whether it really is a small genuine minority and the media are jumping on it, or whether it is a paid group of individuals that are trying to cause as much disruption as possible, although I wouldn’t know to what end!

[Louise]

Wow! A lot has happened socially since these posts. The world really has got crazy and at a speed that seems to know, no bounds. As I write this, in the summer of 2021, it is an honest statement to say, there is no such thing as free speech. If your opinion doesn’t match that of the ‘woke’ (whoever they are), then you seem to get cancelled.

it is sad to think we live in a world now where differing of opinions are no longer accepted. I have long been an advocate of expressing my opinion and arguing with others about their opinion and I am grown up enough to acknowledge when I am wrong in my opinion and that the debate has added to my understanding of a situation. Don’t get me wrong they are many times when I am just ‘right’

differing opinions are healthy because they come from a place of differing experiences and prejudices are okay, they also come from a place of experience. It’s sad that we don’t see such things as healthy and an opportunity. Rather than to cancel people and dismiss their experienced views and beliefs.

[Daisy]

Louise, I’m not on board with your view that prejudices are okay, it is not okay for me to prejudice about someone based on their age, skin tone, socioeconomic background, functionality etc, I don’t know why you think it should be. We are all just trying to get by on this floating ball of a planet, we all come with our own uniqueness, it is that that makes us who and what we are and gives us our place on this planet. People should be treated equally, regardless of their differences.

[Louise]

A prejudice is someone’s opinion, everyone has a right to their opinion based on their experiences in life. That opinion may be wrong in someone else’s opinion or even in the view of society and that is where it is okay to help people see their opinion with a different perspective.

That is what I mean by it is okay to have a prejudice, it is simply an opinion that they have formed in their own experience.

[cherry]

It’s very unnerving to see the societal changes that are occurring regarding free speech, or in fact any speech, especially in schools. I don’t think we should be getting rid of books and people from bygone eras, it’s from these people that we learn. We shouldn’t condemn such times, they are, simply that, times.

We now live in a different era where things that were once acceptable, are now no longer acceptable. No doubt in many years to come there will be aspects of our culture that are deemed okay today that won’t be in the future. But we look back on it and think… wow! Look how far we’ve come.

Highlighting our differences only ever serves to segregate us and cause conflict. Maybe more focus should be on what connects us, by doing this prejudices naturally fall away.

[Tom32]

Over these past two years, since covid and the lockdowns the control of free speech has been extensive. The will to control the narrative, what people think, see and believe is now well and truly orchestrated from Government.

They seem to have controls over what was once considered our domain, ‘social media’ including FB, Insta and Twitter making these platforms weak and controlled, the lack of political speech and freedom to openly discuss everyday things that impact our lives has resulted in people moving to more ‘right wing’ platforms in order to speak freely.

I highlight in speech brackets the term ‘right wing’, because the reality is that these platforms are not right wing, but just open discussion. The info on these threads can range from how to grow vegetables to how to start a political movement.

People that move to such platforms for their speech are not right wing, but simply people that like to see a more rounded view to a picture. The dumbing down of the population and the control of our speech can only lead to a disastrous future, where thoughts and the view of the world is limited to what you are allowed to think.