The Great Hypocrisy

Posted on by under education, guns, History, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

Something occurred to me this morning rather out of the blue.  Isn’t it the ultimate hypocrisy for people to carry their demand for freedom of speech to the nth degree, even to the point of inciting violence, and yet those very same people are the ones calling for book banning, calling for firing of teachers who even dare to say the word ‘gay’, calling for only revisionist history to be taught?  Just think about that one for a minute … the person who says it’s okay for Nazis to tell lies and invoke riots, thinks it’s a crime for children to be taught the true history of their country’s crimes of genocide and slavery.  Hypocrisy?  Double standard?   When I hear the words “free speech”, I have to wonder … WHOSE speech?  Is it only the haters, the bigots and racists who are entitled to freedom of speech?

Basically, it seems that hate speech is highly valued and protected, while truth and facts are to be banned.  It’s okay to condemn people of one group or another, LGBTQ, women, Blacks, Asians, etc., with words that incite people to commit acts of violence against those people.  Yet it is not okay to teach children about equality, that it’s okay to be ‘different’.  What hypocrisy!!!

There are some who even believe that their right to ‘free speech’ extends to actions and not just words.  They consider it a ‘right’ to hold events like the ‘Unite the Right’ rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 … an even that was nothing more or less than a KKK rally minus the hoods.  But don’t even think about a Drag Show where people come together for music and fun.  Some will tell you that the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and other right-wing hate groups were only exercising their right to free speech on January 6th, 2021, when they stormed the Capital in an attempt to overthrow the election results, leading to death and destruction.  But shhhhhh … don’t tell children that Black people used to be treated worse than farm animals by their white ‘masters’.

It’s okay to call for death, to let the likes of Kanye West, Nick Fuentes, David Duke and others promote policies that will lead to death, devastation, and possibly the overthrow of our government some day, but it is not okay to teach history, to teach love, compassion, tolerance and equality.  There’s something seriously wrong with this picture if you ask me.  I think it’s time we start re-thinking the boundaries of free speech.  In fact, I think it’s past time we start re-thinking several of the first ten amendments, such as the 2nd Amendment.  The people of the 21st century have tested the limits and it’s time to better define those limits … NOW … before it’s too late.

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19 thoughts on “The Great Hypocrisy”

  1. Hello. I have noticed to the fundamentalist / maga / right wing crowd they claim to be and are convinced they really are the majority. Listen to the hardliners in the Republican Party in the House who claim the people have spoken and they want to … ban abortion, ban the gays, ban trans people, bring back the 1950s society … and so on. But the truth is they are the minority in the US. I listen to video interviews with maga people who claim everyone voted for tRump, or that everyone knows that marriage is only between one man or one woman, or that every one knows that it is pornography and sexualizing little kids to let any school kid regardless of age know that gay or trans kids exist. Florida got hijacked by a driven group of fundamentalist religious Christian nationalist like DeathSantis who claim they represent the people, who claim this is what the people want, when that is not true at all. If it was true, why did most of the religious school board candidates that ran and won have to run stealth campaigns where they never mentioned their religion or what they really planned to do. Because they know they are the minority! But it is more of the minority demanding to rule the majority. Hugs. Scottie

    Liked by 1 person

    • The reality, Scottie, is that they KNOW they are the minority. But a couple of things come into play here. First, remember that old adage that if you repeat a lie often enough, people will start to believe it. Second, when they say “Everybody knows _________________ (fill in the blank), the ‘everybody’ they refer to are only their own type, the white supremacists, the bigots, the haters … for them, the rest of us are not relevant. Third, IF the Republican Party believed they were the majority, they wouldn’t be hustling as hard as they can to try to restrict voting by mail, ballot boxes, restrict voting by the poor, college students, and Blacks. They KNOW damn good and well that if every person 18 and older voted, they would lose almost every single seat in Congress. They cannot win honestly, so they cheat. They bought Supreme Court Justices to reinforce their restrictions. We, the ‘woke’ and sensible humans, have an uphill battle, despite being the majority, but if EVERY PERSON does their part, we can win the war! But that means people must wake up, must find a way to vote in next year’s election. Otherwise … read the history of Germany in 1933.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. No, it’s not ok … there is a price to be paid

    The backlash is only just beginning, won’t be pretty

    Make the French and Russian revolutions look like something you’d find on the cover of a romance novel …

    Liked by 2 people

    • I look into that proverbial mirror frequently to make sure I’m on the path I think is the right one, to make sure I’m true to my own values. Though I try not to judge others in most ways, I find it impossible to simply overlook intentional dishonesty, especially when it intentionally harms others.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Hypocrisy, obviously, but I’m not sure the adult children we’re discussing understand the concept.

    I’d like to point out something else that should be obvious, with the caveat that “should” is the most meaningless word in English. Recalling the sobriquet for the Versailles Treaty, “The Peace to End All Peace”, in the history of the human race, FIGHTING NEVER FIXES ANYTHING. A human can lose a chess game gracefully — at least some can — but it has yet been shown that a human can lose a war gracefully. Wannabe Confederates are still alive and well in the US, as are militarists in Japan and Nazis in various places.

    After the American Civil War, the Hatfields and McCoys shot at each other for decades until finally one from each side fell in love and married. And that’s an apt metaphor for how to achieve peace if anyone cared to listen.

    As Keegan points out, Clausewitz was mistranslated and war isn’t an extension of politics. If anything, it represents political failure. We failed to create inclusive societies when the fighting stopped, allowing the outcasts to carry on the banners thought burnt. The rich deny inclusion; every religious right wing denies inclusion; the hopeless deny inclusion. They’d rather have violence than extend any of their resources to help those in need. In Palestine, that greed allowed Hamas to provide food and medical services when established governments failed to act, and in the process recruit the warriors for terror. In the US case, it keeps the various militias and the Klan alive.

    Dickens called out ignorance and need as major threats to human society, to which I add greed. Our societies are following narrow and suicidal agendas, apparently committed to doing so until reaching the logical and fatal end. Our environment has fallen prey to the same culprits, providing extra insurance that all will end badly.

    That these idiots are hypocrits is the least of our problems.

    Liked by 4 people

  6. The hypocrisy is definitely glaring. I often try to put myself in the shoes of a fat right winger, to see if I could somehow empathize and validate with their feelings. It is a struggle on most days to be Frank! 😆

    Liked by 4 people

  7. It seems far too many people use the Free Speech Amendment to use it to deliberately spout lies about others as Trump did about Obama and Hilary Clinton. Any time a politician uses Freedom Of Speech as aan excuse to Lie they should be made to supply proof or pay a significant fine. That shoul also apply to groups like Fox for the lies they push, and radio stations and TV stations that push ‘Fake
    News’ should have their broaadcasting licenses revoked.When the Democrats win in 2024, they should adopt a ‘The Truth or Nothing’ policy which nmight encourage some newspapers too.

    Liked by 4 people

    • You’re so right … and they defend their ‘right’ to spout those lies, but won’t defend the right of teachers and schools to teach the facts. It’s truly mind-boggling! I personally think that any time a politician knowingly lies to the people, they should be immediately ousted, for it proves they are not trustworthy. But then … what do I know, eh? I like your idea of a “Truth or Nothing” policy, but we both know it would never float here. Sigh.

      Liked by 2 people

  8. Jill, hypocrisy abounds. You highlight only a few. I recall when Obama ran, Republicans referred to him both as a Muslim and going to an extreme Christian church. OK, which is it?

    To me what it amounts to is freedom of speech only applies to the speaker in some of these folks mind. Give me the religious freedom not to serve someone, but you better serve me. Maybe a cafe owner should put up a sign “No bigots, no food” or a library should say “We read banned books.” Keith

    PS – some enterprising kids have set up “We read banned books” clubs at schools. I thought that was cool.

    Liked by 6 people

    • Yes, I pointed out only a few … I could write an entire book, I think, if I tried to cover them all.

      Obviously, in the minds of the people we’re talking about, teachers do NOT qualify for freedom of speech. And the religious evangelical crowd are the worst, as you mention.

      Yes, I recently learned of the “We read banned books” movement and it made me very happy! Today, the bigots are even trying to have some books removed from public libraries. What’s next … Barnes & Noble??? Sigh.

      Liked by 1 person

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