In all its forms, left and right, “cancel culture” is a cancer on our democracy — and all of us in both parties need to stand up and fight it.
The human tendency to suppress free expression reminds me of a scene from “Johnny Tremain.” As Johnny looks on at a Sons of Liberty meeting, one of the senior leaders — James Otis Jr. — asks the others why they might go to war. To free Boston from the Red Coats, said one. To prevent taxation without representation, said another. For the rights of Englishmen the world over, said a third.
No, said Otis. They would fight for a much simpler idea: “Only that a person can stand up.”
To stand up. And be heard. And be counted. And be free to pursue our ambitions and express our beliefs. That has always been America’s fight, and it’s why those “self-evident truths” have changed so much since 1776. Because every generation has fought to stand up — to expand the definition of equality and liberty. And time and again, we have supported other nations in their fights to stand up, including the courageous people of Ukraine, who have inspired the world.
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