Friday, August 7, 2015

Getting it said.

Donald Trump seems to be doing the same thing in the U.S. that a lady named Pauline Hanson did in Australia a few years ago. He's putting things on the agenda that some people try to avoid. He says things that some people won't say, even if they think them. I believe  western democracy is the best system of government available in this world but one of its limitations is that it's hard to escape 'political correctness', a reluctance to discuss certain issues because the moral blackmailers start jumping up and down throwing accusations at whoever dares speak. Then once in a while we find someone who won't be scared, who says the things others won't say. Whatever you think of them, it seems to me they serve one important purpose. They get subjects out into the public domain and stop the gagging of personal expression. There is a place for that, provided it does not lapse into slander and dishonesty.
It's not my place to say who should win the U.S. presidency because I'm not an American and the citizens of America should decide that for themselves. We in Australia don't like non-Australians telling us how to run our country so we should not tell others how to run their nations. But this I will say: it's good to see someone speaking out about the issues that others try to avoid or try to be so polite about that they end up being less than frank. Donald Trump could be going too far in his comments on migrants from Mexico but the concern about illegal and uncontrolled migration is there. It won't go away because the goody-goodies don't like things said about it. A country has a right to control its borders. In Australia, Pauline Hanson complained about large scale migration changing the culture and nature of Australia, without the agreement of all Australians. She was right, too. Whatever the race issues, Australian people saw our movement into the country on a scale that could change it without that issue being properly considered or publicly debated, but no-one wanted to say so publicly - until Pauline Hanson got up.
There is a place for this, I believe. Say what you think, and let others remember that you don't need their approval to think what you do. If people genuinely respect freedom of speech, then they know of the need to agree to disagree sometimes. That's a test of how real they are, when they claim to support freedom of speech. As well as that, in principle, public opinion matters in a democracy because the views and wishes of the people are part of how they govern themselves. So let them speak. There is a need to stop the pernicious stifling of debate on some issues because the self-styled censors and thought police don't like hearing it. I can talk. I hear things said that strike me as quite appalling, but it's not for me to deny others the right to say what they think. And it's not for them to try silencing me either. So if "The Donald" as "I'm told they call him gets up and says things that others might want to hear said, more power to that. When it's all been said, then the vote. Then people can decide who they want to elect as leader. But let's hear it all said first. That is real democracy.