free speech / 25 posts found
Conservaphobia
A new kind of bigotry has entered the world. For the purpose of this post I’ll call it “Conservaphobia.” It’s the only term I can think of to describe it. Like all prejudices, it is illogical, intolerant and contemptible. The suffix “phobia” denotes an irrational fear, but Conservaphobia is more than that. It is a deep seated irrational hatred of Conservativ…
The R Word
Some of us remember a time when people used the “N” word. Today everyone understands it to be a racial slur. Respectful people don’t use it. If you do, you run the risk of being suspended, fired or worse. Just ask Wendy Mesley of the C.B.C. who retired early because she referenced the word during a meeting. She didn’t call anyone the N word mind you, she just mentio…
Farenheit 451?
A lot of us are old enough to remember the book Fahrenheit 451. Written by Ray Bradbury, it was set in the future when firemen did not put out fires but instead started them. It was their job to burn books, all of which were forbidden. Like the book 1984, it was a warning. Bradbury, like Orwell, was trying to tell us that the potential for our freedoms disappearing w…
What is Critical Race Theory?
Western society is going through fundamental and far reaching changes and we have passed the time when we can deny it. For many people the idea of transformation is exciting. To them it means better things on the way and a better world coming. But this is a naïve and dangerous view. Not all doctrines or changes are good. In fact, many of them are dangerous, even ev…
The Joy of Labelling
Nothing makes a political extremist happier than labelling someone. When you label someone you condemn them without ever having to prove your case. If the label sticks, your opponent is forever stained with whatever association you place on them. Labelling is powerful, and it is being used now more than ever. But it has always been there, a tool for those who …
What They Can’t Take Away
Canada is still a great country, but these are dark days. This is true not just of our surpassingly beautiful nation but of the rest of the world as well. We are facing so many challenges to our rights and freedoms that is almost exhausting to list them all. And It isn’t just our rights and freedoms per se, but the very quality of our lives: our love of life and …