Talking to myself
In the several months I have been working at home and have
been mostly alone due to COVID-19, I have developed the habit of having
conversations with myself. It is so important to have someone with whom to
discuss issues and ask questions. As my students can attest, I am mostly
inclined to ask questions, so it has been good to have someone here to answer
those questions. These conversations with myself have led me to identify a
number of hypocrisies which are the focus of these remarks. I only recently
realized how hypocritical I have become, so I have my interlocutor to
thank for that realization.
Q: If one really supports the first amendment and free
speech, and, how can one protest speeches on a campus which conflict with one’s
beliefs, such as opposing the rights of the KKK to come to campus and give a
talk on white supremacy (see http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/education/all_amendments_usconst.htm)?
A: Let them talk and avoid any confrontations
with those people while they are on campus. Then, schedule a talk by others about
the many contributions to society and the country made by non-white citizens
(see https://www.nortonlifelock.com/blogs/diversity-inclusion/black-innovators-who-made-huge-impact-technology_/
and https://www.times-news.com/african-americans-have-made-valuable-contributions/article_cea03a6a-c58b-5918-905b-b71d851bca7c.html).
Q: How can one protest wearing a mask when out
and about during COVID-19 on the basis of freedom of choice, but gladly
acknowledge the importance of having everyone wear seat belts in cars?
A: One cannot reconcile such dissonant beliefs,
nor can two, but one might initiate a conversation about the social contract
that is the foundation of all democracies (see https://iep.utm.edu/soc-cont/).
Q: How can a person who claims the right not to
wear a mask on the basis of freedom of choice, deny freedom of choice to a
woman wishing to have an abortion?
A: Mind your own business, and think about the
possibility of you harming others by not wearing a mask (see https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/p0714-americans-to-wear-masks.html).
Q; How can a person reconcile a belief in
minimizing the role of the national government and the budget for the national
government with the significant increase in the national government’s budget
and intrusion into the everyday affairs of citizens?
Q: How can #45 ban TicTok from the Internet but
let consumers continue going to AMC theaters?
A: See https://www.axios.com/working-for-china-1515542281-d4bc0ab4-bed6-4085-a26e-c5d7c66be74c.html
and start thinking for yourself.
Okay, I will try to start thinking for myself,
which is what my students often advise me to do (and they referred me to #276
in Nietzsche's "The Gay Science" - https://web.stanford.edu/~jsabol/existentialism/materials/nietzsche-gay-science-hurry.pdf00).
J.
Michael Spector, 1 Aug 2020
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