Hate, fear and freedom of speech

By Ivan Morgan, July 21, 2023

More and more I am seeing the divisions in politics widening and hardening, and its beginning to affect free speech. More and more I have people tell me they are afraid to say what they think, or more importantly, raise concerns they have about an issue.

A long time ago I worked for a human rights organization and one of the things we promoted was the idea of hate being a limitation on your right to free speech. We lobbied for laws that would outline this. At the time we were concerned about neo-Nazis and other groups promoting violence against certain groups. Fair enough.

The problem is these days the definition of hate is gradually being broadened to include any opinion a person doesn’t agree with. An idea you find offensive is not necessarily hate. If someone has an opposing view from yours, or questions your beliefs, that is not hate.  

There are limitations to free speech, of course. You cannot stand up in a crowded room and scream ‘Fire!’ You cannot spread false rumours about folks, publish obscenity, indecency etc. You cannot preach hate.

Criticism is not hate.

Recently the publisher of this paper wrote a column on immigration, questioning some of the policies government has towards increasing immigration in this province and the country. It was a respectful, well thought out column which asked questions.

I get around, and a lot of people spoke to me about the column and agreed with it. I also had folks tell me the column was “problematic,” that is a “dog whistle” for bigots and anti-immigration groups. That’s nonsense. It was fair comment.

I wrote a column in this paper critical of the cops a while back. I was surprised at the response.  Some told me they agreed with what I wrote but said they would be “too afraid” to criticize the cops publicly. That too is nonsense. I am sure the RNC would agree with me that they are big boys and girls and can take a little criticism in stride.

(I am also learning that more and more people are reading The Shoreline. Score!)

I talk to a lot of people about politics, and I hear a lot of frustration.  I am struck by how many people whisper when they talk about certain issues, afraid to say what they really think for fear of being targeted, shouted down, or branded a hatemonger.

(You will note I am not mentioning the topics they are concerned about. I too am wary of the thought police.)

Canada was built on freedom of expression, including free speech. It is essential to the health of our society that we have the right to say what we think and express any concerns we have on any issue. People in Russia who speak out against Putin end up dead. Those who speak out about China’s Mr. Xi disappear – forever.

Healthy debate fed by free speech is what makes our country the envy of the world.

Part of this is that hate is easy. Demonizing your opponents is easier than coming up with the solutions to our many tricky problems. Better to make an election about choosing so-called right (you) over wrong (them) than offering ideas on how to stop inflation, make groceries more affordable or solve the housing crisis.

We see this a lot in federal politics. Justin Trudeau is the devil. Pierre Poilievre is Satan incarnate. Jagmeet Singh is a Beelzebub’s spawn. Yeah yeah yeah . . .

How can we function as a society if we paint each other as evil? If we don’t talk? If we don’t ask questions? If we are afraid to speak out? If we don’t debate? If we don’t listen to each other?

Today there are new orthodoxies whose believers think themselves to be beyond being questioned or criticized.

I am old enough to remember old orthodoxies.

Young people won’t remember this (thankfully) but when I was growing up, my Catholic friends knew better than to ever question priests, Christian Brothers, or the Church. They were above criticism.

Look where that got us.

Ivan Morgan can be reached at ivan.morgan@gmail.com