The cancel culture is alive and well. A high school student was recently suspended for talking about his Christian beliefs in private texts and in “a hallway.” The real question is – when will Americans allow other Americans, who necessarily differ in beliefs, as we are individuals – to speak openly about them?
The case in question is a Michigan High School student who apparently was suspended for discussing his Christian beliefs. The Detroit News indicates the student voiced two forbidden opinions, first that the Bible describes homosexuality as a sin and second that men and women are biologically different. See, e.g., Student suspended for privately discussing Christian beliefs sues school district; Christian student suspended after sharing beliefs on sexuality and gender, lawsuit says.
According to public accounts, his suspension was related to “stealing others’ happiness.” When the student sought to clarify his views, arguing that those who wanted him silenced had a larger agenda, namely to “shame, intimidate, and silence conservatives and Christians,” at least once critic concurred. See also, Michigan High School Student Sues School for Suspending Him for Privately Talking About Christian Beliefs; School sued over social media ban on religion, restriction on religious expression at school.
The suspended Christian student then sued, claiming his right to speak his views was impaired. This case is likely to be of continuing interest, highlighting the sad state of public dialogue in America.
Historically, without reciting a string of cases, the First Amendment – while having “time, place and manner” restrictions per the US Supreme Court, errs on the side of offensive speech. The reasons are clear, and amply supported by case law and reference to the founding documents.
The point of free speech is to permit differences of opinion for their own sake in a free country – and to permit corrective speech, in effect serving pursuit of truth through unfettered exchange of highly divergent life experiences, opinions, perceptions, beliefs, and views of the world.
To shut down speech because it reflects starkly different views of the world, even views offensive to one individual or group, is to miss the opportunity to educate, persuade, understand, inform, reflect, deepen knowledge not just of a view but of society, and of the various parts of a pluralist society.
Absent that communication, that willingness to hear the offensive, we lose our own ability to judge with full knowledge the world in which we live. We become captive to our own preferences, prejudices, experiences, and taught and learned beliefs. We also lose the ability to interact understandingly.
So, what does this case teach us? Even at this unsettled point, it tells us that we are not becoming more reflective, understanding, and able to appreciate and learn from each other, but less. We are reminded that a certain fragility – a kind of news delicateness – is afoot in society, one that does not toughen us but weakens us.
Moreover, this case reminds us that fear is afoot, the kind that causes normal people to reject other people because they fear the opinions they hold; that is true of those on the left especially, since they seem unable to process that they may be wrong. At times, it is also true of those on the right.
Looking back in time, across the vast expanse of American history, this is an anomaly, making this period unusually sensitive, an outlier period – we do not normally react with fear to differences, but with an awareness that differences are what define our unique society, with confidence and engagement, not retreat into condemnation, vilification, and disengagement.
Where does all this lead? That is the million-dollar question, since a healthy democratic or republican form of government always depends on open communication, the more informed, the better – but that “getting informed” process invariably requires a curious mind, listening, and openness to differences.
For those who think we are turning a corner, Americans sick of being shut down, shut up, shut-in, and told to follow government dictates, mandates, and speech codes, you are probably right. Americans are getting tired of rolling, growing restrictions on their base constitutional rights. But be aware – there are still large pockets of liberty-restricting thought that do not want more liberty-loving thought. Just a thought.