Some great points CC. And you are absolutely correct about the assault on free speech and it's rapid worsening in the past year. I have never seen anything like this or seen American state TV before.
It's scarry. I am torn on the idea of fighting fire with fire. It has an appeal and yet it also drags us down to their level.
I now believe the hope, the answer is state's rights. Look at what individual states did this past year? Shutting down economies , restricting free movement and closing businesses. I think we need our own version of that without the blatant Constitutional violations.
Nullification is the answer. If red states do this more "red people " will move there and more "blue people" will move out. Concentration of like political beliefs in states exerting their rights. But with a national government ( hopefully a limited one) to deal collectively with otjher nations and uphold the Constitution ( I know I'm dreaming on that one)
One of the effects this would have would be a sort of lib vs con competition to see who's policy brought about the best results with higer percentages of the people supporting that policy in each state and those supporters being the ones funding that policy.
I'm really a localist but I'll settle for this.
Totalitarianism is a centralized, dictatorial system of government that prohibits any opposition parties and requires complete subservience to the state on pain of prosecution, imprisonment or even death. I think you'll find that such a system of government has never existed in the U.S.A. and is constitutionally prohibited. The government prohibits no one from expressing unpopular views.
Employers, whose economic survival is dependent on public favor, are particularly sensitive to social condemnation. Any employer will dismiss an employee whose actions compromise the success of the company, whether by failing to meet the objectives of the job or by compromising the reputation of the company. In the case of public facing companies, expressions of opinions by employees in the media (social or otherwise) can bring immediate financial consequences, if such opinions result in a loss of custom. This has always been true, even long before the advent of the internet and it is true all over the world, not just in the U.S.A. The advent of the internet, social media and the proliferation of opinionated talk shows simply create exponentially more opportunities for people to carelessly shoot their mouths off before a massive audience. To the extent that they do so publicly and are implicitly associated with any company, they are risking their employment.
Political correctness (although the term was first coined in the 1930's) has always existed. PC represents the ideological positions of the majority.
All employment situations are authoritarian by definition. As long as you are providing services for hire, you have a boss or bosses. You do what you are told to do or you get fired. That is authoritarian. This is not a new phenomenon.
The First Amendment acts to prevent the federal government from interfering in the free speech rights of the people. It has no force with regard to employers and employees or any social sanctions that result from expressing unpopular opinions, nor was it ever intended to do so.
In quoting my post, you affirm and agree that you have not been goaded, provoked, emotionally manipulated or otherwise coerced into responding.
"The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.”
Mahatma Gandhi
CCitizen (04-15-2021),Standing Wolf (04-15-2021)
Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect. -- Woody Hayes
CCitizen (04-15-2021),Standing Wolf (04-15-2021)
In quoting my post, you affirm and agree that you have not been goaded, provoked, emotionally manipulated or otherwise coerced into responding.
"The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.”
Mahatma Gandhi
I'm treating him as I would anyone else by pointing out where the "facts" he's presenting are wildly incorrect. I have no idea whether or not his autism is affecting his beliefs. (Quite a few members of this forum would appear to be delusional on certain subjects and they can't all be autistic.) If he wants to participate in a forum for adults, I'm gong to interact with him on that basis and not treat him with kid gloves because of his stated disability.
“Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.” - Robert E. Howard
"Only a rank degenerate would drive 1,500 miles across Texas and not eat a chicken fried steak." - Larry McMurtry
Dr. Who (04-15-2021)
Call your state legislators and insist they approve the Article V convention of States to propose amendments.
I pledge allegiance to the Constitution as written and understood by this nation's founders, and to the Republic it created, an indivisible union of sovereign States, with liberty and justice for all.
CCitizen (04-15-2021)