There are many ways to censor speech and expression. The government can do it. Big tech can do it. But there's no better way than by allowing us to do it to ourselves.
Perhaps, for art to thrive and flourish, we MUST get to that point. Art needs a purpose, and the new counter-culture is the anti-establishment, anti-woke vanguard that is currently being bullied and threatened out of the established theatres and publishing houses.
Good, I say. Those comfortable places are not where real art can happen.
We are experiencing a psychological operation deployed by the government and perpetuated by our media. It’s an active and concerted effort to manage behavior thru speech. You did a great job of defining their technique with real examples. A wonderfully cathartic read. Thanks.
The root of the censorship is about racial differences. Our society is at war with reality, and speaking accurately about racial differences is the greatest taboo. Heather MacDonald's latest book documents the tremendous destruction of our society being caused by the stubborn refusal to face the plain facts.
Wonderful article. I leave in Canada but was born elsewhere in a French-speaking African country. I honestly get entirely the impacts of the controlled language and it's not fun at all. Happy to find a place where we can share these thoughts.
Love your writing and your reasoning! I'm a former journalist and currently a science writer, so I'm picky about what I read. You're definitely on my list!
Brilliant as usual. I just had this VERY conversation with an amazing young artist called Lucy May Walker whom my brother in law discovered while she was busking in Scotland(she is from London). About 20 years ago I did “The Artist’s Way” course by Julia Cameron. It has shaped my life for 2 decades. It opened my eyes to the absolutely necessity of art in culture. Without art, our society gets collapsed onto itself because of arts purpose to hold up a mirror to it. Without that reflection, egos run amok, or get squashed into nonexistence.
Often, self-censorship is prompted by the mere suggestion that we are giving voice to "negative thinking" or "negativity". But negativity is in the eye of the beholder and if an idea is true, it has the potential to yield very positive results, even if only by exposing corruption to the sunlight of public attention so reforms can be achieved and harms ended.
Government and social media collusion has tightened the lid on the pressure cooker. People are getting tired of being herded. Even now Twitter will "warn" you if it thinks you're making a mean tweet. Social media is, yes, usually a bunch of people yelling and arguing. I'd rather have that and the freedom that comes with that. Good article, thought provoking as usual.
The majority of people self-censor on social media, to comply with the peer-pressure of their own self-created opinion echo chamber. Pick an inflammatory subject: Ukraine war, COVID vaccination safety, Israeli apartheid, immigration, non-binary gender rights. You could easily alienate your connections by taking a contrary position on any of these topics. It appears few humans are capable of viewing nuance in complex topics, while continuing to respect those who disagree with their perspective. The end result is the same: silence.
Self-Censorship
And now I'm permaband from Twitter because I refused to censor myself anymore. I guess moderation is for the weak👍🏽
Great article. Thank you so much.
Perhaps, for art to thrive and flourish, we MUST get to that point. Art needs a purpose, and the new counter-culture is the anti-establishment, anti-woke vanguard that is currently being bullied and threatened out of the established theatres and publishing houses.
Good, I say. Those comfortable places are not where real art can happen.
Truthfulness begins with the self. Thank you for this article.
We are experiencing a psychological operation deployed by the government and perpetuated by our media. It’s an active and concerted effort to manage behavior thru speech. You did a great job of defining their technique with real examples. A wonderfully cathartic read. Thanks.
The root of the censorship is about racial differences. Our society is at war with reality, and speaking accurately about racial differences is the greatest taboo. Heather MacDonald's latest book documents the tremendous destruction of our society being caused by the stubborn refusal to face the plain facts.
Wonderful article. I leave in Canada but was born elsewhere in a French-speaking African country. I honestly get entirely the impacts of the controlled language and it's not fun at all. Happy to find a place where we can share these thoughts.
Thank you,
Kind of funny to hear that considering you're at the same time bitching and moaning about nudity on twitter
That last bit in your essay: "there is no right, left, or middle" I appreciate that tremendously!
This is exactly right. This is what I learned from family and published history.
Love your writing and your reasoning! I'm a former journalist and currently a science writer, so I'm picky about what I read. You're definitely on my list!
Here’s Lucy…. https://youtu.be/RG01RpQA89c & https://youtu.be/1qyfg9vicjw
Brilliant as usual. I just had this VERY conversation with an amazing young artist called Lucy May Walker whom my brother in law discovered while she was busking in Scotland(she is from London). About 20 years ago I did “The Artist’s Way” course by Julia Cameron. It has shaped my life for 2 decades. It opened my eyes to the absolutely necessity of art in culture. Without art, our society gets collapsed onto itself because of arts purpose to hold up a mirror to it. Without that reflection, egos run amok, or get squashed into nonexistence.
Often, self-censorship is prompted by the mere suggestion that we are giving voice to "negative thinking" or "negativity". But negativity is in the eye of the beholder and if an idea is true, it has the potential to yield very positive results, even if only by exposing corruption to the sunlight of public attention so reforms can be achieved and harms ended.
https://martintruther.substack.com/p/the-eternal-sunshine-of-the-dots
Government and social media collusion has tightened the lid on the pressure cooker. People are getting tired of being herded. Even now Twitter will "warn" you if it thinks you're making a mean tweet. Social media is, yes, usually a bunch of people yelling and arguing. I'd rather have that and the freedom that comes with that. Good article, thought provoking as usual.
The majority of people self-censor on social media, to comply with the peer-pressure of their own self-created opinion echo chamber. Pick an inflammatory subject: Ukraine war, COVID vaccination safety, Israeli apartheid, immigration, non-binary gender rights. You could easily alienate your connections by taking a contrary position on any of these topics. It appears few humans are capable of viewing nuance in complex topics, while continuing to respect those who disagree with their perspective. The end result is the same: silence.