Orwellian doublethink of civil libertarians, by The Mocker.
Despite its worthy reputation as the birthplace of political correctness, the United States is relatively free of legislation that outlaws so-called hate speech. Unlike Australians, American citizens can speak without fear of being summoned before a government tribunal to answer accusations they have, whether intentionally or otherwise, caused offence. …
Now that is about to change. Last week The Wall Street Journal, having obtained a leaked ACLU document, revealed the organisation is revising its case selection guidelines. Traditionally it has defended free speech matters as a matter of principle rather than on their content. Yet it now endorses the view “that speech that denigrates [marginalised] groups can inflict serious harms and is intended to and often will impede progress toward equality.” …
Any guesses what this is code for? I’ll give you a clue: the document contains negative references to “ultra-right groups” but is silent on the malevolence and thuggery of left-wing extremists such as Antifa and other so-called anti-fascist groups.
If you are a white conservative or if you espouse ideals that favour the individual over the collective, chances are the ACLU will not represent you.
If however you don a black balaclava and menace, shout-down, and even assault those few conservatives brave enough to speak on campus these days, you can expect the ACLU to champion your right to protest. …
As any member of ACLU’s Australian counterparts could tell you, defending the free speech of those with whom you disagree is so last century. Hell, they even publicly fawn over those ridiculously well-paid officials who seek to regulate speech. Who could forget Gillian Triggs, the then president of the Australian Human Rights Commission, who last year appeared at a Greens-affiliated Bob Brown Foundation event and lamented the fact that people were free to say what they like around the kitchen table at home? Instead of denouncing those comments as the hallmark of a totalitarian state, Liberty Victoria bestowed its Voltaire Award on Triggs for “her courageous stand on people’s rights, especially free speech.”
hat-tip Stephen Neil
