Hello, Lovely Soul Drop!
I’ve been thinking about censorship and self-censorship A LOT lately. I’m an avid advocate for honesty and freedom of speech, but there are times when self-censorship isn’t a bad thing.
Should the government control what we can or not say? Absolutely not. The less power the government has over us the better. However, we should control what we say or don’t say sometimes. One thing is to be honest or authentic another is to be rude or imprudent.
Words have power, and we have to be responsible for what we express. I don’t think jobs should fire people for sharing their thoughts online or expressing themselves, but I would understand a school firing a teacher for posting inappropriate pictures or comments about minors. Freedom of speech isn’t freedom of consequences, yet, Cancel Culture isn’t the answer either. You should be able to post your thoughts without getting fired, but people around you will react to what you say. We can’t force people to think like us or how they think about us.
Cancel Culture, witch hunts, and censorship are all against Classical Liberal values yet the same people who say they are open-minded or “liberals” push them when it’s in their favor. Freedom of speech includes speech we don’t like or agree with. Both sides have attacked freedom of speech. Conservatives pride themselves in caring about freedom of speech but will use the same censorship tactics the other side does. For example, one side wants to force others to use “the right pronouns” for everyone solely based on sex and the other wants to force everyone to use “the right pronouns” based on gender identity. Maybe let people speak however they want one way or the other?
On the other hand, being 100% honest all the time isn’t virtuous. Self-censorship is a quality all adults should have. We don’t need to tell our friend his suit looks hideous in the middle of his father’s funeral and maybe telling your boss how you hate them isn’t the brightest idea out there. We aren’t supposed to say everything that comes to mind. If you are at Church don’t yell about how you don’t believe in God and if you’re around minors keep conversations PG 13. My students don’t need to know about my personal life or about who I am, but I shouldn’t have to be afraid of them seeing me around going on about my normal life. I’m not a sex worker or anything outrageous! So why should I be afraid? I am because my country and my school are extremely conservative. So whatever is “out of the norm” or “out of that perfect Catholic conservative image” had/has to be hush-hush. That includes me wearing purple lipstick or liking metal.
Neither extreme is ever good. We must self-censor sometimes, but we shouldn’t have to walk on eggshells 24/7. Freedom of speech must be protected at all costs, but you can’t expect people not to react when you speak your mind and you can’t force them to agree with you. Freedom of speech isn’t publishing erotica for minors or stripping in the middle of the street. There is a balance, and even though it’s hard to find it, I hope I manage.
Thank you so much for reading!
Belle.
Couldn't agree more. Self-censorship is indeed a virtue. As a truthteller, I will be working on that one until the day I die.