Freedom demands the defense of those who may irk you. (Gage Skidmore – CC BY-SA 2.0)
Social media has been in an uproar since some offensive jokes by James Gunn resurfaced in the far-right media and gained national press coverage. Ever since then, a furor has erupted over the state of freedom of speech, mob mentality, and our growing political divide. While I grabbed a bucket of popcorn and laughed at the mess, some part of me felt bad for James because the right turned SJW tactics against Hollywood and destroyed another career.
Yesterday, the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 wrote a letter in support of the director, which compelled me to make my own response. Let’s consider the situation from an outsider’s perspective, shall we?
The Stars Arrived At The Right Conclusion, But For The Wrong Reasons.
This isn’t about misfits seeking redemption. Something far more sinister is afoot.
Before we go any further, I’d like to tell you about my own stance on the jokes that James Gunn made all those years ago.
- Are they offensive? Absolutely.
- Are they unfunny? Sure.
- Should he have been fired for being a bad comedian in the distant past? Absolutely not.
Contrary to what the Guardians cast might think, this situation isn’t about forgiveness, the virtue of a man, or having a heart. The entire debacle (and others like it) is a reflection of the dark, authoritarian future that we’re creating for ourselves. And you know what the saddest part about this is?
Hollywood (And Other Regressive Slacktivists) Asked For This.
Oh, you thought that your own tactics wouldn’t come back to bite you in the ass?
If I may slap people back down to Earth for a moment, it’s important to point out that this kind of nonsense is not new. For the past six years (if not longer), the far left has been systematically attacking everyone to the right of Leon Trotsky for exercising their First Amendment rights. While some comedians and famous figures have come out in defense of free thought, Hollywood, academia, and the media cheered on this catastrophic assault on human freedom with a smile and a wave of the hand.
How long did you think it would take before someone got fed up and launched a full-blown counter-offensive?
Of course, some people are more insulated from the after-effects of this brand of warfare than others. In my own life, I’ve been called everything from a racist and a sexist to a Communist and a Nazi, even though I’m just an old-school liberal/social democrat who believes in things like freedom, shitposting, and apple pie. Others have dealt with similar circumstances, and those unwarranted labels will stick around until the regressive mafia turns their guns on us.
That’s why we have to fight. Speaking of which…
Wake Up.
If this is just another piece of paper, we’re done.
To close this rant off, I’d like to turn my attention from the letter to my dear readers. Regardless of your political orientation, I want you to answer a simple question.
Do you want to live in a world where a bad joke or an obvious mistake can destroy your life?
I sure hope not, but that’s the twisted road that we’re rolling down. If freedom of thought only exists on paper and doesn’t live in the hearts of free men and women, our petty infighting will seem quaint when compared to what comes next. Sooner or later, this encroaching horror will find its way into the halls of our government, and the values that we once cherished will be consigned to the dustbin of history.
Stand up and fight back. Our future depends upon it.
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