Monday, April 25, 2016

Weekend Review: Modern Day Thoughtcrimes

"A thoughtcrime is an occurrence or instance of controversial or socially unacceptable thoughts...
The term was popularized in the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, wherein thoughtcrime is the criminal act of holding unspoken beliefs or doubts that oppose or question the ruling party. In the book, the government attempts to control not only the speech and actions, but also the thoughts of its subjects. To entertain unacceptable thoughts is known as crimethink in Newspeak, the ideologically purified dialect of the party."--Wikipedia

The idea of "thoughtcrime" came to me when I saw the news about a protest at Stone Mountain in Georgia on Saturday. Here is the story from CNN:

One "pro-white" demonstrator and eight counter-demonstrators were arrested Saturday during a rally at a suburban Atlanta landmark that pays tribute to Confederate leaders. 
The eight counter-demonstrators were among a crowd that appeared to outnumber by nearly 10 to 1 those wearing "White Lives Matter" shirts and waving Confederate flags. 
The ninth arrested person was from the pro-white group that staged the rally at Stone Mountain Park; he apparently threw a smoke bomb at law enforcement officers, said John Bankhead, spokesman for the park's Department of Public Safety. 
Police in riot gear appeared to outnumber everyone, maintaining a sprawling presence around separate areas containing the different groups. Tensions appeared to level off after the arrests, with the opposing groups keeping to designated areas of a parking lot at the base of Stone Mountain. 
What amazed me were the comments from many on Twitter, who were themselves surprised that police would protect the racists, like this moron:


So I called him out on it:


Needless to say, Ashley wasn't going to change his mind:



The conversation went downhill from there, as reasoning with a hate-filled zealot is like trying to teach a pig to sing.

Basically, the logic goes like this: Because the KKK have killed people in the past, anyone who associates with them gives up their right to free speech and police protection, even if they have never committed a crime. And if an angry mob shows up, the police should just step aside.

To me, racism is like abortion: It's a bad thing that should be discouraged in every way possible, EXCEPT through force of law. Ashley doesn't understand that because he sees the world in black and white, right and wrong. To Ashley, anything wrong should be fought with whatever means are available, such as a police force, or even an angry mob if a police force won't do it.

Bad ideas like racism should be fought with reason, not lynch mobs. Treating bad ideas like thoughtcrimes sets a bad precedent, allowing the government to control speech too. But I won't be able to convince idiots like Ashley of the folly of their ways, as they fight racism with the zealotry of a Spanish Inquisitor.

"Men will always be mad, and those who think they can cure them are the maddest of all."--Voltaire
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