On freedom of speech vs. freedom from hatred · 6:26pm Jul 13th, 2016
With the presidential election coming up in the US, we've all seen the tempers fraying and the shit being slung by both sides. My American readers should know this better than anyone. Whether you support Hillary, feel the Bern, or believe that the Trump can't be stumped, you can't deny that this is an election that has had more than its fair share of vitriol, anger and bitterness.
Here in Europe, we've had our fair share of anger and bitterness, too. Rather than being over an election, however, ours has stemmed from the combined concerns of mass immigration and the threat of Islamic extremism. Far-right groups are on the rise throughout the continent, with the Freedom Party of Austria only just losing the Austrian presidential election this year. Islamophobia and Euroscepticism are all on the rise, and tensions have come to a head more than once, including here in Ireland.
The above video shows the incident a few months ago where a dozen supporters of the notorious anti-Islam group PEGIDA clashed with hundreds of anti-racism protestors in Dublin, which all but resulted in a riot breaking out. The rioters were rightly condemned by all sides afterwards. I say "rightly condemned" because this incident highlights a worrying trend in our society -- the trend of how any opinion that deviates from the collective norm must be immediately quashed.
I should go on record as saying I am a proud liberal. I firmly believe in the protection of minorities' rights, and balancing a free market economy with a functioning welfare state. Personally, I have no time for groups like PEGIDA or our own Identity Ireland -- frankly, I think they're a bunch of cranks.
However, much as we may wish it were the case sometimes, being a crank isn't grounds for suppressing someone's freedom of speech, nor should it be. It's one thing when people get snarky on an online forum. It is quite another when people are being attacked in the streets in the name of social justice.
This isn't just a matter of preserving freedom of speech, though. Groups like PEGIDA? Those groups get support when people feel like they have no voice -- and attacking people in the streets isn't going to help that sentiment in any way. Allowing both the left and the right to voice their opinions freely is crucial to preventing the rise of extremists on either side, and to keep people from supporting those extremists simply because they feel they're the only ones who will listen to them.
Yes, there are countries out there where the government will crack down on any speech it deems offensive or problematic... but do I really need to explain how glad I am that I don't live in one of those countries?
This seems fairly well thought out, and consistant with the current state of things . And i will say donald trump is getting his support thrpugh people who feel likenthey arent being listened to otherwise.