Censorship is a hot topic due to recent events. Social media censorship is even more disputed. There is a difference between the freedom of speech, as promised in the First Amendment, and the current actions against President Trump on social media. The First Amendment speaks specifically about protecting people from government censorship. Nothing is said about the censorship within privately owned platforms such as Twitter or Facebook. That makes what has happened even more confusing and concerning.

Are there times when censorship is appropriate? What about child pornography? Why aren’t the hosts for those sites shutting down that terrible media? There are many other examples of what appropriate censorship entails. However, the current situation is multi-faceted and not easily answered. There are many variables that will be disputed for a long time. There may never be a clear answer.

Because I can’t read minds, hearts, or prophesy the future, I have to rely on information and common sense. Even that is tricky because the information spewed out by major networks is contradicting, bias, and without solid sources. The news these days, as it has been for decades, is slanted to fit whatever the popular narrative is at the time.

Finding facts in an endless display of misinformation is frustrating and sometimes futile. So I have to go by what I see personally and use some common sense. Good old-fashioned reading and research is the most important factor in free thinking. I don’t mean reading posts on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media for your facts. I mean some real digging that involves getting both sides of the story and making an informed decision. An informed decision is based on filtering through the muck and mire shoveled out by present-day journalists. That brings me to my first concern.

1. Big Tech Is OP

I was very proud when I learned that OP in gaming and comics means “overpowered.” It is a term that applies to more than gaming. Take the female Captain Marvel, for example. I disliked her immediately. What a cop-out! And her excuse for not showing up during End Game was ridiculous. I mean, if Thanos has all the stones and is going to kill billions of people in all the universe, why wouldn’t Captain Marvel show up before the very end?  Her excuse was that there were other worlds besides Earth. That makes no sense. The fact that another world might have one or two villains to be captured is subordinate to the fact that the fate of the entire universe was literally in Thanos’s hands. 

But that is another post for another time.

The point is about being overpowered. Big Tech companies have had a monopoly on social media for so long that the public has forgotten how badly such power can be wielded. Should they have some guidelines to help keep things civil? Yes. Absolutely. And I appreciate that. However, banning someone on what amounts to propaganda and hearsay really is distasteful. Then the Big Tech went after smaller establishments like Parler because they allow a conservative voice along with all other voices.

Trying to eliminate communication in a group of people you don’t agree with should be considered immoral and nothing short of an internal terrorist attack. Freedom of speech is in the very First Amendment. It is part of what makes America unique. Citizens are encouraged to not only think for themselves but to share it with others. Disagreement can breed ingenuity. The Bible says, “Iron sharpens iron.” In other words, even our disagreements can help us grow and become better.

But I don’t think this present situation is what our founding fathers, or God, had in mind. We all talk but don’t listen. We don’t know how to disagree like intelligent, mature people anymore. We bicker, fight, and call each other names like spoiled little children. Perhaps that is what we really are. When we don’t get our way, we cheat, lie, steal, and lash out any way we are able. And let’s face it, some of us are more “able” than others due to financial standing and influence. I’m no economic guru, but I’m willing to bet some money was involved in one way or another with the decision to ban President Trump.

I keep reading about the reasons for the ban. They say that it was because of his influence on the protesters. Yes, I said protesters. It was not a riot. In case you forgot, the thousands and injuries, deaths, and ruined homes and businesses over the summer were riots yet touted as protests. People need to learn some vocabulary. But to be honest, I don’t understand the remarks of those who say President Trump was engaged in sedition. One of the last tweets I saw from him was him telling everyone to go home peacefully. He wasn’t inciting a riot; he wanted the protesters to remain peaceful. But where is the report on that tweet? Nowhere. Why? Because it doesn’t follow the imagined and inflated narrative being fed to us by the media. People call him a dictator, yet dictators are the ones who do the censoring. They don’t get censored. Again, it doesn’t track logically.

2. Where Will It End?

My second concern, as a writer, is obvious. Where is the line going to be drawn? I’m a conservative. I believe in God. I love my husband. I have seven children. I believe in hard work, paying my own way, and doing good to others. Where does that put me on the list? Does that make me dangerous? Oh yes, watch out: I might bake you a fresh loaf of bread and you’ll bloat up. Does that mean I get censored from writing? Is Facebook going to deactivate my account because I’m considered right-wing? Because I refuse to be swayed by misinformation and a narrative that tells half-truths, twists words, and has no interest in the greater good? 

Censorship of any group because of their beliefs (political or religious) is a clear sign that the government has run amok.

Let me say it again: censorship of ANY group because of their beliefs is a clear sign government has run amok. Left, Right, or anywhere in between. Look into history. It is the harbinger of a fallen nation. 

Swiping out freedom of speech at the knees of our country is like pushing the first domino over in a line of rights and civilities. One will fall after another. Those in power will silence those who disagree with their politics or philosophies. The message is clear: tow the line you are given or shut up and sit down.

The question is: Will you?

Featured image by Brian Wangenheim on Unsplash