Censorship: A Tool of Deceit
If you were attempting to be truthful, you wouldn’t need to hide behind fancy algorithms, “fact checkers,” or a governmental Ministry of Truth.
Free speech is on the chopping block. Having been put in the jail of Instagram’s algorithm and threatened with deletion of my YouTube, I have been reflecting on my own personal experiences with censorship and what causes one to support such a policy.
Ultimately, censorship is an unconscious manifestation of fear. We have been taught to equate our identity with ideologies and emotional reactions. Much of the content that is currently being censored asks people to step outside of those two identity boxes.
What is the truth that exists in the mainstream ideologies?
Why are they accepted without question or reason?
What lives inside of us that is deeper than emotion?
When you find yourself emotionally attached to a specific worldview or story, these questions simultaneously ask you to look at the roots of your current identity model. You may not be who you thought you were and that’s scary to a lot of people. Therefore, censorship is acceptable to avoid that deep inner work.
If we are to live in a free society, we need to be free to have debate within our public forums. You could have the most hateful opinion, but I won’t shut you down for it. Why? I should be listening and attempting to understand the perspective that you embody. If I shut down your words, you’ll go off into your own little echo chamber and fester in your hateful ideologies, one day only to come back with a vengeance against me for denying your freedom of expression. Even if somebody is aligned with ideas of hate, is me giving them that same energy in return going to rectify the situation?
If censorship were solely based on hate speech, we would also see it taking place in the dividing rhetoric of our mainstream ideologies. Ideas that simply dig for truth are being censored, so it is a clear sign those ideas are exactly where we need to be looking. Truth can stand on its own and doesn’t worry about questioning. Through open dialogue, deeper truths can be discovered and understood together. Even if there is disagreement, we begin to recognize that our intentions are often aligned in a similar fashion, giving us more in common than we would ever care to admit. This type of discourse is the marker of a healthy and free society.
But if you’re promoting a lie, the only way it will be sold is to shut down those who see through its charade. If you were attempting to be truthful, you wouldn’t need to hide behind fancy algorithms, “fact checkers,” or a governmental Ministry of Truth. You would encourage open and honest dialogue. We have seen lies permeate our discourse over the past several years. Even with Elon Musk purchasing Twitter under the guise of free speech, we still continue to see censorship taking place with no end in sight.
The only truly dangerous idea in our society is the one person believes others need to be shut down. Even then, that one person should be free to speak their mind.
Reflect on where you stand regarding censorship. What do you feel lives within the narratives being censored? What can you learn from the people who have been shut down, or with people you disagree with? Even if you disagree with an idea, what gives you the superiority to say it must be silenced?
Let me know your thoughts below.