Born 382 years ago-almost to the day, it is safe to declare the teachings of philosopher John Locke to be all but ineradicable. Saying nothing of his germinal influence on The Constitution, theology, and economics, the conversation he inspired in regards to the coalescing of ideas and the importance of education remain some of the most appreciated efforts to hail from the 17th century. And Locke’s ideas still have import today, to conversations and discussions happening right this very second online. We occupy a world that has the right sort of fervor for dialectics, but lacks the social responsibility that ought accompany it. I very much doubt that the crucifying of Tina Fey is a good exercise of our liberty of expression.
It’s not my intention to castigate the modern liberal too heavily, as we’ve enjoyed a level of progress many thought unachievable a recently as fifty years ago. I would, however, like to address our proclivity to abandon core liberal values for the sake of social trends. Tina Fey is on OUR side. Even if you found her latest appearance on Weekend Update to be anything more than a harmless goof, we have to stop cannibalizing each other like this.
One of the concepts propelled by Locke’s A Letter Concerning Toleration is the freedom of belief and just to clarify how important a work it is for you four-eyed mouth breathers: it’s like the Flash Gordon to The Declaration of Independence's Star Wars. It suggests that enforcing ideological uniformity can only hinder the progress toward a harmonious society. This is a principle that we all know and pretend to adhere to: fundamentalism is wrong, plain and simple, whether enacted by the left or the right.
You would think that the technological ease at which our thoughts and ideas are allowed to permeate would lend itself to an intellectual overindulgence. That we would engage with a wide spectrum of ideas, even and especially those contrary to our beliefs, but the contrary is closer to the truth. We much too quickly claim the right to be offended, abandoning the other pivotal concepts presented by both Locke’s work and the first amendment. Nothing highlights this point more than the use of pejorative terms to describe perceived social extremes - terms like SJWs or Wingnuts. These slurs imply an inherent resistance to the diversity of perspectives that is currently broader and more accessible than at any time in human history.
Banning words, boycotting films, regaling in inflammatory think-pieces feeds our culture’s further regression into infantilism. Conversely, freedom of expression and speech dictates your right to indignation, but not to violence or harassment. Quite simply, from John Locke to Tina Fey, censorship of thought is absolutely impermissible.
Is egalitarianism a precarious fad? Or a deathless era that we value and take seriously? The latter can’t be undermined by jokes or rival ideals. Locke believed (rightly so, in my opinion) they all must coexist with each other for the benefit of a tolerant society. On behalf of Player.One, I’d like to wish “The Father of Liberalism” a happy birthday and affectionately invite the ghost of Thomas Hobbes to eat a dick. If you disagree with anything I said above, politely comment below.
