This is the crippling question that stays my fingers from
tap-tap-tapping on my keyboard most days.
In particular, my fearful response to this question has severely stunted
this blog which started in 2007. Outside
of a few posts now and then, erupting from a deep need to write something in order to keep my head from
exploding, the fear that I might be ‘full of myself’ caused this blog to peter
out altogether after 2008.
After more than ten years of reflection, I have come to
realize that silence breeds complacency - the greatest tool of the
oppressor. To be silent offers more
‘airtime’ to and no ‘contrary opinions’ against those whose ideas I believe are
not only wrong, but dangerous.
What do I possibly have to say? I want to say that, with all due respect, I
disagree.
I disagree with those who see immigration as inherently
dangerous to the sovereignty and safety of a nation.
I disagree with those who would deny full personhood and
dignity to women, homosexuals, and the transgendered, especially when this
denial is grounded in religious bigotry and narrow-mindedness.
I disagree with those who treat or refer to those with
mental illnesses as ‘weak’ or ‘dangerous’ or ‘lazy.’
I disagree with those spread hateful and harmful acts,
words, and ideas and then have the audacity to claim that their rights are
violated when anyone disagrees with them.
I’m not sure what my opinion is on every topic, but I am
very aware of those ideas with which I strongly disagree. To not speak up is unacceptable to me.
Feeding into the agenda of many who espouse hateful ideas
are a growing lack of critical thinking, rampant disinformation and
half-truths, and doubt arising from fear.
The lack of critical thinking is most obvious when one looks
to the news or YouTube for a debate on almost any contentious issue. One needs to look no further than Jordan
Peterson or Ben Shapiro to find individuals who use ‘sleight-of-hand’ in their
confrontations to tap into anger and prejudice and build support without
actually offering anything that approaches an argument. They, and many others, left and right, are
today’s sophists.
Rampant disinformation is nothing new, but in recent years
it seems to me that no one bothers to at least try to confirm information
before putting it out there. If I were
to respond to every post on social media from friends and family who promoted
falsehoods as truths, I’d have little time for anything else. What is mind-boggling to me is that the very
tool which is being used to promote misinformation is also the easiest place to
reveal these mistruths for what they are.
The most insidious source of power for those with whom I
most strongly disagree is the creation of doubt from fear. First of all, I wrote about fear two weeks
ago, so won’t repeat myself here. What I
do want to highlight is the ‘doubt’ that fear brings about when wielded
effectively. Simply put, if you fear
something, you will not trust it. Fear
of journalism among certain politicians has eroded the general population’s
trust in even the most well-researched articles from leading institutions. Fear of ‘the other’ whether they be from
another religion, culture, or political perspective, has led to increased
violence, verbal or otherwise, masquerading as ‘standing up for our
rights.’ Fear of scholars, especially
researchers, as mouthpieces for corporate agendas has led to anti-vaxxers,
climate-change deniers, and flat-earthers.
Do we really have to spend time and energy trying to
convince people of the foundational piece of knowledge that the earth is not
shaped like a pancake?
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