Name calling, body shaming, physical intimidation, verbal degradation, harassment et cetera; all of these and many more are descriptive terms for Bullying. Michelle Obama had two major undertakings while she was First Lady: school lunches and putting an end to bullying. We had conferences, TV spots, radio spots, countless periodical (both press and online) articles and such. We were provided examples of bullying and its effects upon all segments of the population. Hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer and charitable funds were spent on the effort. CNN and MSNBC ran specials devoted to the identification and eradication of bullying. So, then we need to ask ourselves; is there less bullying today than in 2008. From the perspective of many the answer would be a resounding NO. In fact, they would say, there is now more bullying than ever and because it is a tactic adopted by a major political faction in the country, it is ok.
What? How? You’re pretty much flabbergasted. You don’t see it. No, that isn’t possible, you say. As I have said many times before “Perspective is predicate to perception and perception determines action,” so move a little off your center point and look at society from a new perspective. If you express an opinion different from that of certain political groups you are loudly branded a Racist, a Nazi, a Neanderthal, a Deplorable. You are shouted down when you try to express an unliked opinion. You are attacked personally for your demeanor, background, skin color (as long as it’s white) or your gender. You are told you need to be reeducated, silenced and some would put you in jail for expressing an opinion different than the one they hold. In the new HR-1 “For the People” act the Congress wants to have the Federal Government put you in jail if you make a statement they determine to be false within sixty days of an election. (see my essay, “Whose Truth?” published on 29 Sep 2020) In other words you can be arrested and imprisoned for speaking out for or against a political candidate and the government will be the arbiter of your speech. You are being silenced.
In fact the entire Cancel Culture is just one big bullying campaign. If you’re not with us you’re against us and that is not permitted. It isn’t just censorship its intimidation in all its worst forms and its being encouraged by the very people who five years ago were leading an effort to stamp out bullying as a societal scourge. Remember what Thomas Jefferson warned us of: ” A nation of sheep will have a government of wolves. ” Can you feel them gnawing on your bones?