Let’s reason things out
Let me tell you a story that I’ve never told before. I like writing about the world around me and being as opinionated as I am, yes, I offer my thoughts. The intention is always to shed some light on an issue affecting society even when it will be controversial.
Anyone can talk about problems and situations around us that in the end may or may not change that particular issue – it just made conversation. I like to dig, question, and even advise and I started doing that at the early age of eleven years of age.
Still in Cuba, during my year in sixth grade, my friend Doris Rivero Colino and I began to write poetry, parodies to songs, and even short stories. I soon discovered that I had a passion for writing and by the time I ended ninth grade, it was clear that this was to be a very important part of my life.
Those were the years of turmoil and the press censorship was a horrid decision from the revolutionary government. I always knew that the United States offered the opportunity to people like me the freedom of choices and ideas and by age 16, we finally arrived here.
The journey in the field of the media took me all over the place with more satisfaction and achievements than expected. During the ‘60s and ‘70s, I was writing all the time for local newspapers and published two novels. That led me to produce and host a television show for 15 years. In the ‘90s it was radio which I still dabble on and for the past 25 years, Alberto and I proudly produce Rumbo, the bilingual newspaper of Lawrence.
I am telling you this because I am a product of the First Amendment of the Constitution of this country, offering freedom of the press and freedom of opinion to everyone. Anyone could speak or write on any subject and, if there was any opposition to what that person had said, they just responded in the same venue with his own version of things. There was respect for all views!
What we are seeing in recent years is a switch to intolerance. Most often, it is not enough to respond with the opposing diatribe but revenge.
Comes to cancel culture. The usual response is to eradicate that person, deny that individual the right to a job, ridicule, and create lies to justify their position. They even search into their past for errors that do not conform with today’s ideals and people are made to pay for what they did dozens of years ago.
Are we going crazy? People are afraid to express their ideas in case of offending somebody.
The First Amendment of the Constitution was put there because it is the most important freedom granted to an individual. It is there to protect speech that we don’t like because the speech that we approve of doesn’t need protection.
Universities have a problem bringing speakers on controversial subjects because usually a small group of students boycott and cancel the event. Instead of simply not attending if it’s not of their interest, they don’t allow anyone to hear it.
Let’s respect each other and listen to all ideas.
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