Originally posted by John Lambert:
I am quite outraged that people can so glibbly misrepresent Card's political views and get away with spewing hate at him.
While people have a right to disagree with his political views, they should at least deal with them as they stand.
I think 'freedom of speech' is almost lost. There are accepted values (accepted because most people agree with them and therefore the values have to be 'right') and those who disagree are vilified if they dare voice their opinion.
A quick look at history will show that an opinion isn't correct simply because most people believe it. In my own country, the view that Aboriginals were 'not quite human' is a case in point.
I often wonder how people of the future will look at our times. Will they shake their heads and say, 'Can you believe they *all* thought that? Can you believe that anyone who disagreed was considered a political/social outcast? Did *no one* think for themselves? Or were some people just so influential that they managed to convince everyone of the moral value of their views? How did they manage to so effectively silence the dissenters? How did they change 'freedom of speech' to become 'freedom only if you agree'?
The movie, 'Amazing Grace' is set in the late 1700s, but there are so many parallels to our world, it makes me wonder if we've progressed at all.
Corrina.
