General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: First time in 60 years I felt true hatred last night, [View all]calimary
(80,700 posts)or have allowed themselves to become.
I think it's the trump effect. He made it okay to be "out 'n' proud" with your prejudices and insults and bad ideas and idiot positions and wrong ideas. He's made it okay for the total bastardization of the right to free speech - which now allows any proud, defiant, in-yer-face know-nothing an equal seat at the table with science, truth, and objective provable FACTS.
I guess I don't feel like that much of a free-speech advocate anymore. I think that mindset should be muzzled. I think damaging and false information should NOT be allowed to be aired in public. I don't think it deserves a seat at the table. I think it should be openly decried and denounced and NOT given a microphone or a venue to spout shit. And I'm not sure how that would be accomplished in this country, now. But now we've got separate "world-views" competing for air and light and attention. And they're all given the same level of "legitimacy." Hell, we've got Qanon nuts now running for office, and earning their party's (mainly republi-CON) nomination! There's such a freakazoid here in Oregon running for the US Senate right now, for Pete's sake! Such an individual shouldn't be found anywhere outside a padded cell. And, of course, there's the donald as well...
I'm not sure if we're ever going to be able to climb back up out of this.