I don’t usually blog on weekends because that is when I close the laptop and spend time working around the house. Today, however, I had to take some time to do a post that not illustrates irony — and not necessarily in a good way — but also shows just how much free speech and the free exchange of ideas has been throttled in our schools. You can find that post over at Victory Girls. Please go give it a read. I will be honest. This trend of schools to silence anything but approved speech scares the hell out of me and it should do the same to everyone else.
It bothers me seeing anyone, and I don’t care what their political leanings might be, doing all they can to silence someone else. There is no right not to be offended. When our schools step in to prevent students from hearing something they don’t want to, they aren’t helping the student. In fact, they are harming him. This sort of “protection” prevents the student from learning not only how to discuss ideas but how to defend his own position. But I guess it is sooo much easier to say “I’m offended” and make the rest of the world walk in lockstep with your sensibilities.
Enough of that. I say much more at Victory Girls.
Now for the short snippet. As with the others, it comes from the rough draft. So there may and more than likely will be changes in the final release of the Fire from Ashes. Also, this snippet does not follow directly after the last one. Yes, I’m an evil writer. VBEG
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Another explosion rocked the area and Ortega’s expression darkened with even more concern. “Do me one more favor, Ash. I know I don’t have to ask it. But tell my folks I love them. If I don’t make it back, let them know I don’t regret one minute of being a Marine. Then find that bastard of a division commander of mine and find out why he never sent us any reinforcements.” She looked into the pick-up and a slight smile touched her lips. “Ash, you’re my best friend and my sister by choice. We had some good times together. Now make these bastards pay. Ortega out.”
Ashlyn leaned back, her face a stone mask of cold fury. Without a word, she replayed the message, her eyes never looking away from the screen. She didn’t want to miss one detail, one nuance. As the screen faded to black, she once again activated her virtual keyboard. Her fingers flew as she typed in a new series of commands. She didn’t care if the information she wanted wasn’t necessarily any of her business. She had no intention of letting her friend down. If she couldn’t save her, she would avenge her death and the deaths of the Marines she commanded.
But, by all that was holy, she would do everything in her power to make sure it didn’t come to that.
You don’t silence or deplatform people because their ideas are offensive. You let them talk and then mock their dumb ideas and point out how that’s not how things actually work (even if we want them to work that way) and/or that path leads to a lot of death and destruction.
I totally agree. Unfortunately, too many others are too fragile to hear opposing ideas. I say it’s time to show them we won’t sit down and shut up just because they don’t want to hear what we have to say.