There is nothing new about cancel culture. The ruling elite have always sought to use their power to silence those who would disrupt the status quo. The methods and scale might be different, but not by much.
Throughout history, tyrants have sought to silence the voices of truth. Weeks after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, His disciples were preaching freedom that threatened the ruling elite of Israel. The Book of Acts notes the rulers were “greatly annoyed” and had the disciples arrested, hoping that would silence them. It didn’t.
And so, arrests turned to beatings, stonings, and, yes, more crucifixions. The ruling elite were annoyed by the message, so they attempted to silence the messengers.
Whether it was Nero in Rome, Hitler’s National Socialists in Germany, or the government of China today, anyone who questions the absolute power of the state finds themselves at the center of oppression – official or otherwise.
Jack Dorsey’s Twitter silences people like James O’Keefe III for proving the establishment media manipulates news coverage for political ends. Jeff Bezos’ Amazon erases mentions of books that expose the psychological damage of the transgender movement. And, of course, Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook rigs its algorithms to hide the content of anyone expressing concerns about election integrity.
Google’s YouTube recently erased the digital existence of a roundtable discussion Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had with three medical professionals about the relative merits of masking children. Google doesn’t want anyone making decisions informed by anything but the shrill, big-government alarmism of Anthony Fauci.
If we cannot choose what information we consume and what we reject, then we are not free. It doesn’t matter if the oppression comes from Jeff Bezos or Joe Biden.
Yes, Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Twitter are private companies, but their growth and power have been fueled and subsidized by government spending. Taxpayers’ funds have been used to build and maintain their data-centers, warehouses, and offices. Even now, with these tech giants openly engaged in an all-out war against conservatives and Christians, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is working to give them more of Texans’ money.
Cancel culture is merely the latest iteration of what was once called persecution and censorship. It is the high priests of the secular left erasing ideas inconvenient to the lifestyles they would choose for us. It is the ruling elite using their power to silence those who annoy them. Why would we subsidize the ruination of our republic? Why would we not fight those who would muzzle us?
And so we can shrug our shoulders in resignation, or we can shrug off our censors. We can capitulate and be silenced, or we can speak louder.
Our Founding Fathers acknowledged the fundamental right of all citizens to speak and publish. They expected us to not just jealously guard those rights, but to zealously exercise them. As a self-governing people, we are expected to be an annoyance to those who would establish themselves as the ruling elite.
It is up to each of us to ensure liberty is not canceled. By doing so, we ensure that our constitutional republic survives and thrives.
