The suppression of Freedom of Speech, Part 1
The thing you need to know about me is that I have always had an open mind and will challenge everything. I will not necessarily believe what I am being told as fact. I will check it out for myself; I will read around the subject from different sources and different perspectives and then guess what, I will make my own decision. So, there should be nothing wrong in that, pretty healthy you would have thought. That to me is a fundamental human right.
I love life, I love people as I have alluded to already in previous posts. So, when I see something that to me is very wrong and potentially undermining the very fabric of society, and in this case the concept and consequences of lockdowns that could potentially destabilise the whole planet, then I have to do something about it.
It is a human right to enter the debate and have meaningful discussion. And guess what can also happen is that by opening up the debate to all sides then it may become apparent that I may not be on the right wavelength and then I am perfectly willing to change my views on a certain topic. I will then be happy to tell people of my change of mind and the reasons behind it. That is the essence of all intelligent and scientific debate/argument since homo sapiens first walked on the Earth.
Would you agree with me that freedom of speech is a fundamental human right in a free world?
The only answer to the above question has to be a yes, because if you think anything else you are opening up a pandoras box of possibilities which will eventually lead to government intervention and suppression of human rights. The fundamental right to freedom of speech has been fought for over the centuries and in the twentieth century in particular, with tens of millions of people having gone to an early grave in protecting that fundamental right. We cannot give away this basic right, otherwise we have renegued on the promise to those that have died so that we could live.
What’s changed?
This is the thirteenth blog post since I have entered the debate and I have not yet mentioned Eric Blair, I have wanted to before but today as I write this it is time for him to enter the debate. Why is George Orwell’s 1984 so quoted today, given that it is a book published back in 1949? People often use the phrase ‘Orwellian dystopia’ to describe what is coming down the line. The first question I have for you, is have you read 1984? If you haven’t, or you last read it decades ago in school, you must read it as soon as possible. I have read it recently and here is my synopsis.
The hero, Winston Smith, lives in a world of total totalitarian control, hence Big Brother is Watching You. Everything he does, says, thinks is monitored by the ‘Thought Police’ through visible screens and listening devices hidden everywhere. Orwell conceived of a telescreen that listened to everything as well as transmitting propaganda programmes, with the Thought Police monitoring every movement of every citizen.
Winston does not believe what he is being told. He has clear evidence of this as his day job is to falsify actual events so that they did not exist. Remember, ‘He who controls the present controls the past, he who controls the past controls the future’. Winston meets a female who thinks as he does, and they fall in love. And that is all you are getting from me, as that should be enough to whet your curiosity to want to read how it pans out. You will also get to know the original meaning of ‘Room 101’. You must read what happened to Winston Smith, our hero, as it now becoming the story of humanity in the 21st century, in my opinion, (only if we allow it to happen).
It’s human nature, power, and control
We now know that the Stasi in East Germany did just that right up until the fall of the Berlin Wall. However, now, instead of neighbours spying on neighbours and swarms of secret police, technology has taken over, much of it willingly and unwittingly adopted by every citizen. The 5G network and the internet of everything just completes the success of a Trojan horse of surveillance we have installed for ourselves in our homes, our cars and in our pocket. Another nail in the coffin for freedom of speech. You are thinking of download speeds, better connectivity, and driverless cars, but we are not getting what is being rolled out behind the scenes that will make Orwell’s 1984 become the new reality, in my opinion.
Over to you
That is my opinion, what do you think? Perhaps you are thinking it’s a long leap from what we are experiencing today to a complete totalitarian state, or is it? Am I overhyping the current situation, I know lots of people who think I am? I really hope I am and proven to be wrong. And this is part of the debate. Don’t shut me down, because that is not freedom of speech and you are facilitating for censorship which is one of the main tenets of totalitarianism.
What happens in the 21st Century if you challenge the narrative?
So, in 2020, because I am challenging the status quo, the narrative as I call it, I am considered a conspiracy theorist. I am trivialised, mocked and marginalised as being bonkers. That I read the latest social media memes and posts of a particular conspiracy, which I will then believe to be true and will then share with friendship groups and expose the particular conspiracy to a wider audience, God forbid. We are apparently “losing the war on conspiracy theories” because social media is full of ‘fake news’ and people are believing it, one BBC commentator said. The commentator was looking to the government to impose additional legislation on the social media companies to stop the salacious stories being spread. That, my BBC friend, is exactly what the social media companies want, so that there is only one narrative, theirs, no ambiguity. You have just put another nail in the coffin of freedom of speech.
Reading widely
So, where do people get their information from to make an informed decision, especially when I am suggesting it is being censored in a way that people may not realise? All I am doing is widening my paradigm by looking at a wide variety of sources of information. This is enabling me to realise that the story is not as simple as you may think. It is giving me enough to call things out and allow you to also expand your knowledge and for you to then make a more considered decision from a wider range of information. Do you think I like being called a conspiracy theorist? All I want is the truth.
The Conspiracy Theory challenge
There is one simple answer to all of this nonsense on conspiracy theories (it was the CIA in the US who first coined the words ‘conspiracy theory’ - pot and kettle, right!) It is a judicious, totally independent, and open analysis and review of all the available data on a specific topic that has been given a conspiracy status. This way the actual truth, one way or the other, can be ascertained and then we can get on with the rest of our lives. That is all I ask, but it is 100% not going to happen is it?
The debate continues – have a great week
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