Freedom of Speech, YES!; All Opinions Should Be Respected, NO!

Following a long gap of postings, I feel compelled to put down a few thoughts after this weekend's events in Charlottesville, Virginia. The violence that surrounded the march of thousands of white supremacists (let's call white nationalists what they are) has hit anyone who's been paying attention hard, but it is also not surprising. It is the logical progression of the campaign and electoral college election of our "dear, great leader," the 45th "president" of the U.S. 

That campaign employed fearmongering and scapegoating to the modern extreme, and over the past several months we've seen white supremacists and other bigots emboldened by the current administration. There has been little criticism from the top, and when there is any, it doesn't expressly denounce these vile human pieces of excrement.

I am a firm believer in a citizen's right to speak their mind and to share their opinion. Freedom of speech is the bedrock of this nation.  

However, it does not follow that just because you have the right to say anything, anything you say is correct and should be respected.

All opinions are not created equal, and when you speak an opinion, there will (and should) be consequences. People will (and should) evaluate that opinion and react, citing things like how that opinion meshes with reality, how that opinion is backed up by objective facts, whether that opinion is hypocritical or matches with the speaker's behaviors. 

Anyone, such as any of these white supremacists, who is racist, sexist, homophobic, anti-science and/or willfully ignorant, should be ridiculed and chided appropriately. Those opinionated beliefs have no place in anyone who claims to support the U.S. Constitution or who claims to be a true American patriot. 

I'll tread into controversial territory here as I add a slight disclaimer here about religion. Religion is such a tricky topic because it is truly all opinion, in my thoughts at least, because we cannot really prove anything associated with any of them (but that is a topic for another lengthy post). I will say people should not be discriminated against because of religion, but that doesn't mean that people can't discuss or be critical of any religion. The problem always comes when a person of one religion claims his or her religion is the only true religion, and all others are wrong and either need to be converted or expunged. 

That's the shade here, isn't it. White supremacists in this country are mostly Christian, and so they rail again Judaism, Islam, Catholicism, Atheism, and anything that doesn't match their flavor. (And it's not limited to white supremacists, I might add.) But I digress.

The United States of America was founded by white men who believed there was a better way. (It was built by people of all colors and kinds too.) The founders established an ideal that "all men are created equal." Since then, even with setbacks and missteps, this people of this country have slowly moved forward, sometimes through painful processes, the ideal that all persons should have the same rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." 

This weekend we, as a country, took a step backward. We need to denounce the events in Charlottesville, strongly denounce the hatred of white supremacists, and reaffirm our thoughts and actions to be inclusive and respectful to one another--even if we don't agree with each other. We need to use all the appropriate tools in our toolbox to be compassionate and kind where appropriate, and to mock and chide where appropriate. 

Not all opinions deserve respect. White supremacy is one of those.