….waiting in the sky, he’d like to come and meet you but he thinks he’ll blow your mind.
With apologies to Saint Bowie.
This cartoon appeared in a national newspaper. It presumably got past the editor without too much difficulty.
The sycophantic responses to the cartoonist Cathy Wilcox’s soshal mejia post with this are instructive. Not a single reply pointing out what’s depicted is not “speech”.
What does that tell us? One possible explanation is that her little corner of Twitter is an echo chamber. Or, following the recent purges, perhaps that describes all of Twitter. I don’t know, I steer well clear of the modern Bedlam, only dipping in when people send me links.
Bill’s Opinion
To suggest the cartoon is guilty of falling for the strawman fallacy doesn’t seem anywhere near adequate a description of what’s going on here.
We have to assume one of two things are happening; either the cartoonist and editor have a wildly immature grasp of the concept of free speech, or they deliberately changed the definition.
If the latter, why?
I’m not a mind reader, I’m not going to speculate.
It saddens me though that the left seem to be currently taking great joy in encroaching or at least cheering the idea of encroaching on actual freedom of speech whilst hardly any of their team is suggesting moderation.
Remember when freedom of speech was the left’s cause while the religious right were the ones trying to shut it down?
If you don’t, let’s remind you of the true story behind the quote in the film, The Blues Brothers, “I hate Illinois Nazis“.
Can you imagine the ACLU defending that case today?
How about we all try a bit harder to define and agree a principle and then apply it objectively? The alternative doesn’t bear thinking about.
Twitter is a sewer, so the cartoon is apt in a way.
I expect the sycophants would say that they are totally in favour of free speech but….
Remember when freedom of speech was the left’s cause while the religious right were the ones trying to shut it down?
No, I honestly don’t, and I’m pushing 40. I’m starting to think that was all a fucking lie like everything else they foist on us.
I do remember this. I am convinced it was during the Reagan/Bush era that we had to buy albums with parents advisory stickers on for lyrics with swear words.
Turns out that was an unreliable memory; it was Tipper Gore during the Clinton era.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parental_Advisory
Turns out that was a trial run for putting warning labels on everything they don’t like.