ACCORDING to George Orwell, “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”
Orwell, of course, knew a thing or two about totalitarianism with his classic dystopian novel 1984, written on the isle of Jura, about a bleak future society where freedom of speech is non-existent.
Judging by recent events, Orwell could have renamed his novel 2021 and it would probably have been more accurate.
First up is law student Lisa Keogh, who was investigated at Abertay University in Dundee for saying women have vaginas and are not as strong as men. She has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
Classmates complained she had made “offensive” and “discriminatory” remarks at a lecture, when she also argued the difference in strength between the sexes meant it was not fair that women should have to compete against trans women in sport.
Cue righteous uproar from the serially offended, who are becoming increasingly vocal in today’s society, which is extremely worrying unless it is curbed sharpish.
Freedom of speech underpins a democracy, but allowing unknown censors to cancel people they don’t agree with or call the police when they get offended is a step on the road to totalitarianism.Except we are not subservient to the Government – instead we are increasingly at the beck and call of the woke warriors, desperate to cancel anything they don’t agree with.
Another example is SNP councillor Rhiannon Spear, who tweeted during Eurovision that it’s not just Europe who hates the UK – Scotland does too.
It’s a pretty infantile tweet, but does it constitute a hate crime? Well, according to someone, somewhere, it does and they called the police, who are currently investigating.
Quite what they are investigating is unclear and just like the university bosses, they should have given it a wide berth.
You may not like Cllr Spear’s tweet, but I totally support her right to say it.
Everyone has a right to express what ever view they like and everyone else has the right to disagree and challenge it without running off to the police howling like a baby because they are offended.
The right to being offended is part of the very essence of free speech and having a robust exchange is vital in a free society. But increasingly, the serially offended do not offer any counter-argument and just shout louder.
Soon their arguments will be so high-pitched and hysterical that only dogs will be able to hear them.
Universities used to be hotbeds of radicalism and sharp thinking where freedom of speech about any subject was actively encouraged.
Now even The Queen is not above being cancelled by a generation who think they know best, but actually know very little because they are not prepared to engage or listen.
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