As a classical liberal I'm concerned about authoritarianism. That's why I voted for Trump. The end of the article appears to imply that "far-right" movements are illiberal and authoritarian. From my view it is the political movements on the left that are authoritarian. Examples include censorship and lockdowns. Is the word authoritarian overused? It's easy to see those we differ with politically as authoritarian.
The far-right and the far-left have illiberal and authoritarian tendencies. I’m not saying otherwise. In this instance, I was responding to a friend who asked me a direct question about neoliberalism. Having worked in politics—as a volunteer or part time in the past and, today, professional basis—for 20 years, I’ve watched the conservative movement abandon Reaganism and embrace far-right populism and, in certain instances, authoritarianism. For context, I was in the senior leadership of a conservative organization for more than four years (I worked there for more than six years).
Having said that, “censorship” is a tricky subject because you’re dealing with private platforms that have terms of service. When one violates those terms of service, through the use of prohibited language, that platform is within its rights to penalize or censor the user. There are times when, arguably, it’s taken to an extreme. Still, it’s in the platform’s discretion. The right to free speech is protected against government interference, but Facebook and other Meta properties, Twitter, Bluesky, etc. aren’t the government.
Is it authoritarian to censor content? I don’t necessarily regard it as such. I also don’t use harmful language or spread misinformation on these platforms. Am I somehow oppressed without realizing it? No, I’m not.
Regarding COVID lockdowns. I can’t think of a state that didn’t have lockdowns. I know my home state, Georgia, did. Granted, Georgia was one of the first states to lift its lockdown, to much criticism, including criticism from Trump, who publicly admonished Governor Kemp for doing so. The lockdowns weren’t a creation of the far-left, my friend. We can discuss all day the efficacy of lockdowns and whether some states went too far or too long, but every state did them, as far as I can remember.
As a classical liberal I'm concerned about authoritarianism. That's why I voted for Trump. The end of the article appears to imply that "far-right" movements are illiberal and authoritarian. From my view it is the political movements on the left that are authoritarian. Examples include censorship and lockdowns. Is the word authoritarian overused? It's easy to see those we differ with politically as authoritarian.
The far-right and the far-left have illiberal and authoritarian tendencies. I’m not saying otherwise. In this instance, I was responding to a friend who asked me a direct question about neoliberalism. Having worked in politics—as a volunteer or part time in the past and, today, professional basis—for 20 years, I’ve watched the conservative movement abandon Reaganism and embrace far-right populism and, in certain instances, authoritarianism. For context, I was in the senior leadership of a conservative organization for more than four years (I worked there for more than six years).
Having said that, “censorship” is a tricky subject because you’re dealing with private platforms that have terms of service. When one violates those terms of service, through the use of prohibited language, that platform is within its rights to penalize or censor the user. There are times when, arguably, it’s taken to an extreme. Still, it’s in the platform’s discretion. The right to free speech is protected against government interference, but Facebook and other Meta properties, Twitter, Bluesky, etc. aren’t the government.
Is it authoritarian to censor content? I don’t necessarily regard it as such. I also don’t use harmful language or spread misinformation on these platforms. Am I somehow oppressed without realizing it? No, I’m not.
Regarding COVID lockdowns. I can’t think of a state that didn’t have lockdowns. I know my home state, Georgia, did. Granted, Georgia was one of the first states to lift its lockdown, to much criticism, including criticism from Trump, who publicly admonished Governor Kemp for doing so. The lockdowns weren’t a creation of the far-left, my friend. We can discuss all day the efficacy of lockdowns and whether some states went too far or too long, but every state did them, as far as I can remember.