jenniferalicechandler

Bullying as a Form of Censorship

08/25/23

People love a winner; they admire those who get their way. And increasingly in our society anything you have to do to win is not only permitted but encouraged, particularly when your worldview is in sync with the ideology of the power elite. Increasingly, when the more passive-aggressive means of censorship fail, people are resorting to bullying as a winning strategy to push their ideology onto the world. Perhaps it’s this newfound obsession with 100% compliance — the idea that you can change reality if everyone buys in — that’s driving it. For whatever reason, just making your case to the world as to why your belief system is worth considering — letting your argument stand on its own merits — is apparently not enough anymore. Certain people think that they not only have the right to their own opinion but the right and even the duty to prevent other people from expressing or even having a differing opinion. You have to drive those with competing worldviews out of the town square through intimidation and harassment. You have to bully them into silence and self-censorship. Then, you win by default; only your worldview is left standing. As a bonus, other people will see what you’ve done to your rivals, and they, too, will most likely be browbeaten into submission to your will.

Shadowbanning also can contribute to bullying when it’s clear that people with some sort of power are singling out a group for different, negative treatment. It’s the non-woke, non-globalist worldview that’s being shadowbanned. The attitude among the censorship set seems to be: what do you expect? Of course you’re being demoted! Your views, unlike the other side (scoff) are offensive. Just be glad you haven’t had your account cancelled. It’s what you deserve for fighting the current. In reality, they don’t want you gaining traction to reverse the course. But the official line is that it’s normal and a given you should be treated worse than the ones with their ideology. You are basically not treated with respect, and they are signaling to all the bullies that you have lower status in the social pecking order. This in turn emboldens bullies to abuse people for having what they hope will become an unpopular ideology.

At the end of the day, it’s one thing to state your case to the world, and if you can, even comment on another’s opinion if they’re open to comments. But this tendency of seeking out people with differing views and lying in wait for them to say something you don’t like — which shouldn’t take too long to accomplish — just so you can jump all over them should not be encouraged or admired. It should be seen for what it is — bullying as a means of censorship.