The results of a new survey are truely disturbing. It was discovered that more than half of Americans want themselves, others, and the media censored by the government. Unfortunately, instead of learning from history, people are actually asking for a repeat of Nazi Germany or the gulags of the Soviet Union.
The First Amendment, which guarantees Americans freedom of speech, should be overhauled to reflect current cultural norms, according to 51 percent of the respondents to a survey published on Wednesday by the Campaign for Free Speech. The campaign is hoping to call attention to the dire state of Americans’ preeminent civil rights with the poll, which breaks down opposition along gender, race, class, and educational lines.
History will continue to repeat until humans learn the lessons of the past. Censorship is always necessary for tyranny to thrive.
The younger respondents were, the more they supported overhauling the law to restrict speech. However, college graduates were the least likely of all educational groupings to support the restrictions, indicating that the increasingly regulated speech environment at American universities may be backfiring in some cases and producing adults who cherish their rights because they know what it’s like to be deprived of them. –RT
What was also horrifying, is that over half of millennials believe “hate speech” should be against the law, though no definition of “hate speech” was given (and indeed the definition tends to vary given the time and place) during the survey. Most of those who want a ban on such speech consider jail time an appropriate penalty, although female respondents were the least supportive of such draconian sentencing, according to a report by RT.
And it isn’t just the free speech of their fellow Americans that some people want to be censored. They also want what is essentially, state-0wned media. In fact, 57 % of respondents support government action against “newspapers and TV stations that publish content that is biased, inflammatory, or false,” with nearly half of those agreeing such offenses should carry a jail sentence. That means the government will get to decide the official narrative, and those who have evidence otherwise or dare to speculate against the government would be kidnapped and forced to spend time in jail.
The media is not particularly well-liked in 2019, with the average American trusting the press less even than lawyers and members of Congress, and people over 65 years-old were the only group in which the majority opposed punitive government regulation. But using the government to force the media to parrot the official narrative will only result in absolute brainwashing without any resemblance of the free-thinking that made society great left. A majority of Americans want the government to decide what the truth is and then punish those who disagree.
Buckle up; because 2020 is going to be a bumpy ride. As far as basic human rights go, expect to start feeling enslaved in the very near future.
Those that cannot present a logical argument for their beliefs have found that rude & tyrannical tactics allow them a greater chance to further their agendas. How frequently do you hear Demonrats rudely yelling over the speech of a fellow American with a different outlook? How often do you hear poorly informed Americans yelling “racist, racist, racist” to hush another citizen that is better informed about a particular problem? Those folks that have failed to study history, have failed to learn basic decorum, have failed to learn how to think logically or to follow a train-of-thought, are the same fools that want to govern the lives of everyone. Beware the “ENEMIES WITHIN” (thank you Michael Savage for the correct descriptive name).
The First Amendment was meant to protect speech that would cause concern; non inflammatory speech requires no protection. With this in mind there was a joke from years gone by. An American was bragging about having the right to say, “The President of the USA is a son of a bitch”, to a Soviet citizen. The Soviet said, “So what”; “I have the right to say the President of the USA is a son of a bitch too”.
But, should foreign agents be allowed to destabilize us, to the point of unrest, on our own utilities.
I would use your Soviet as an example.
Clown World
Why would we automatically assume that after the Gulf Of Tonkin, JFK assassination, Pentagon Papers, USS Liberty……..need I go on……..No WMD in Iraq, helping Islamic Fundamentalists (to the point of using US air power) to overthrow
Libya that the USA spoke the truth and “foreign agents” do not? Why not hear both sides and decide for yourself? How can one be comfortable having those that lied control what one sees and hears.
I think I made my point.
Quis costodiet ipsos custodies.
Who watches the watchmen?
The majority of Americans these days are brainwashed and dumber than a box of rocks, so this comes as no real surprise.
This story is a lie. Half the people in this country don’t want speech to be censored. B.S!
My first question for Commie-hating testosterone-charged chest-thumping-and-bumping ‘patriots’ is, ‘Do you homeschool your children or send them to government indoctrination camps?’ Yep, their children are sent into the system cranking out 3.3 Million Bolsheviks every year. What hypocrites!
“Give us the child for 8 years and it will be a Bolshevik forever.” Vladimir Lenin
This is very scary.
It tells me that the commie/socialist are winning.
Who in their right minds would give up their first amendment rights – just an idiot.
The media brain washing is working on the weak minded of society.
Pfft! Where did they take the survey? At the DOJ and Congress only? Who believes this nonsense?
Sometimes whenever a story shows up here, I go a couple years into the past on this site just to see what sort of nonsense was being printed then.
I prefer my own value system uber alles. (sarc)
I saw a seal of censorship, put on an old, foreign documentary. They intended to portray quality and class, to the tune of classical instruments playing in the background. Also, in some fictional movies — even high production value cartoons — there is some state historical dept, in the credits, telling you it was accurate to the period.
On the other hand, I saw a British series with nude perverts popping pills like handfulls of candy, covered by a television tax on their public.
Since you’re not legally allowed to own the means of communication, the question is about statism. Whose values are operating that state, and whose values would be seen in a Vaudeville.
F#$% everyone who wants censorship. Don’t like what I’m saying? Look for trouble and you’ll find it. Play with fire and you’ll get burned.
When the 1st Amendment is finally and firmly removed from the citizens reality, the deep state / neo-cons / officialdom / “elites” will be the ones to decide what “hate speech” is (the term “hate speech” is fabricated by propagandists as opposed to free speech which is real) . In effect, they can and will define anything they want as hate speech. Of course once free speech is gone, hate speech will be crimes not only against a person or group, but also against the state. Imprisonment or psychiatric wards await those who speak their mind. This is a linchpin for TPTB to consolidate their power and grip on every aspect of our lives. Half of the citizens have been dumbed-down with no ability to think critically – thanks to the social conditioning and propaganda in public education system, MSM, etc. Now these idiot citizens demand their 1st Amendment rights are taken away. Unfortunately, so many young people are not only stupid, but easily intimidated, emotionally and psychologically immature, with short attention spans, and worst of all – believe that gov’t knows better and is always right. The kicker is they think they are the most intelligent and enlightened ever.
Here’s the real secret though, they are merely useful idiots for TPTB that see them as disposable. In reality, the state couldn’t care less about them. In their latter years, after a life of vapid conformity, they will be poor, unfulfilled, powerless, and frankly useless. I predict high suicide rates in 2 or 3 or 4 decades – one last sacrifice for the state you might say.
I don’t believe that. Polls can be doctored, taken in the right locations to give the desired results. Liars figure and liars figure!