I really wish Western society would stop being such a circus to the point that it compels me to call it out on its BS in the pages of this fine, superbly-written community newspaper.
(Or on our new, kick-ass website. Hello, people of the interwebs!)
Last week, a well-known right-wing speaker named Milo Yiannopoulos was set to appear and give a speech at the University of California in Berkeley. This didn't sit well with many students, who proceeded to set off fireworks at police, tear down barricades, and set their own campus ablaze in what was being called a "violent protest".
Less than a day later at the same campus, a lone Donald Trump supporter wearing the infamous 'Make America Great Again' baseball cap was jumped by two men, harassed, and then punched before officers arrived and arrested the attackers.
So, let me see if I can break this down a bit.
In the first incident, someone trying to utilize their right to free speech gets demonized and forced out by those who claim to support that right. In the second incident, a student trying to exercise his right to support one side of the political spectrum gets jumped and even physically assaulted; again, by those who claim to support that right.
And before someone even tries to use the "But do you KNOW what *X* person stands for?", I'm gonna have to cut you off right there because that's not the point. The message isn't the point; it's the right to convey that message that's being mistreated.
'Equal' seems to be the buzz word in our society now, whether you're fighting for equal rights, equal pay, equal exposure, whatever the case may be. Well, what's equal about forcibly - nay, violently - ending someone's chance to speak or support a politician, in this case the American President?
Sorry, but you don't get to have your cake and eat it, too. You don't get to light your school on fire and proclaim yourself to be a champion of rights, or gang up on a supporter of the opposite side and punch him in the face.
ALL sides of ALL issues deserve to have a platform, and they deserve to have a voice. Whether you agree with the message is irrelevant; I'm talking here about a basic right to be heard. You can go ahead and discuss, debate and argue all you want about what's IN the message, but you at least have to let it be heard. Our society has become one of "I just want MY views to be heard, because I'M the one who's right!" We want validation, we want 'likes' on Facebook, and we want nice little comments and kudos for having a strong argument. But we don't want to be challenged in our beliefs or be made to see things from another side or view. And that just isn't right.
I also take issue with media reports calling the Berkeley incident a "violent protest". Violent, it certainly was. A protest? No, it wasn't. A protest gets a message across in a concise and meaningful way. These kids incited a riot, and they give everyone who shares their supposedly "tolerant" beliefs a very bad name.
None of this sounds very 'liberal' at all to me.
"Cancel the speech or we'll burn down the university!!!"
"Take off that Trump hat or we'll give you a beating!!!"
In fact, it almost sounds downright fascist when you really think about it.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Everyone loves the idea of having freedom of speech, until someone goes ahead and tries to exercise that freedom.
For this week, that's been the Ruttle Report.
