A new study by the Populace organization revealed the obvious: that Americans are “self-silencing” — people saying what they think others want to hear rather than what they truly feel.
People often reshape their privately held views to conform to what they think their group believes, despite that assessment frequently being inaccurate. This causes the illusion of consensus.
The following are two of the most significant revelations from the study:
Four times as many Democrats say corporate CEOs should take a public stand on social issues (44%) than actually care (11%).
On education, one in three Democrats think parents should have more influence over public school curricula. However, only one in four dares to say it publicly.
In the current climate, it is the left that is championing the idea of groupthink, which leftists claim is the only “appropriate” way of thinking.
Under the guise of being woke, the left is “canceling” dissenters and rendering them outcasts, often by inventing claims of bigotry. Wokeism that claims to emanate from empathy is merely a euphemism for totalitarianism.
It is hence essential to revisit the principle of free expression, which is the core tenet of democracy.
This includes the right to opine without repercussions — i.e. the right to offend, insult, satirize, and ridicule. The result is that obscene, hateful, abhorrent, and shocking ideas may be expressed.
But personal taste can never, ever be the criterion for the expression of ideas.
The reason is that what is hateful to one may be compelling to another. What is bigoted to one may be a fresh perspective to another. What is obscene to one may be artful to another. What is lewd to one may be hilarious to another. What is blunt and blatant to one may be hard-hitting to another. What is repulsive to one can be riveting to another.
A dogmatist to one may be a maverick to another. A rabid right-winger to one is a voice of reason to another. A hateful bigot to one could be a revolutionary to another. A mad man to one could be a genius to another.
A healthy exchange of ideas and relentless debates, not echo chambers, facilitates personal growth and in turn societal growth. It also causes unity as people begin to empathize with the opposing point of view and indeed the individual.
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