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We have been hearing a lot about the Cancel Culture today. It’s when someone is targeted and silenced because they have deviated from a politically correct ideal, supported a politician that threatens the Left’s political agenda, or offended a group that is promoting PC goals and ideologies. The targeted individuals are fired from their jobs, deplatformed from online websites, and bullied into silence through media campaigns and social media mobs. Canceling is designed to intimidate people so they can’t speak. It’s a weapon used to win an argument without actually making an argument—usually because an argument with facts and reason can’t be made since the agenda being promoted is based on emotion and lies.
This has happened to media personalities, academics, athletes, politicians, artists, musicians, business people, and corporations. But it’s not just big-name people with public positions and large platforms that are being intimidated by those who use threats and violence instead of debate. It’s your average people talking with friends or engaging on social media. It’s your moms, dads, daughters, sons, and even grandmas.
Here’s one example of an 80-year-old grandmother, former chemistry teacher, wife of a disabled veteran, and Christian who is active in her church being threatened on social media. She is an avid Trump supporter and let her advocacy of him be known on Facebook. Her views were met with quick condemnation. Another teacher, Jane Corbin, responded with the following comment:
I want to go through this exchange to explain the tactics being used and how we see this strategy of silencing being pushed throughout America. Notice she doesn’t address any issue. Instead, she goes for the personal attack. “Surely you’re smart enough to know better,” she basically says. This is what the mob does when it seeks to bully and silence. It goes personal instead of staying objective and dealing with the issue.
With a measured response, Mrs. Long, simply said:
Notice, she didn’t get personal. She just stated her reasons for supporting Trump. She thinks Trump is best for religious liberty, national defense, respecting our history, and our freedom to defend ourselves. She is prolife, so the issue of abortion is important to her—a value Trump shares. She’s also positive about America, an attitude Trump has reflected throughout his time in office as he has put America first.
Agree or not, these are noble reasons to support the president. If you don’t think he’s doing these things, then make that case and try to convince his supporters otherwise. Instead, Ms. Corbin chooses to take the low road, to intimidate and bully a Christian grandmother, a loving wife who spends every day taking care of her disabled husband with Alzheimer’s, a faithful American citizen who simply thinks Trump is better for this country than Joe Biden.
That’s cancel culture in action—and it’s aimed at a woman who isn’t even a public figure. “I added you to my friends. Be warned,” she says. Think of that! She’s notifying her own social media crowd to be on alert that this grandmother and former teacher is not complying with the politically correct agenda. “So just be prepared,” she says. The mob is coming to get you!
Many of us—especially those of us who are public figures getting deluged with mobs by the thousands every day—might chuckle at this nobody’s ominous threat. I’ve been so seriously attacked by online mobs that I had to actually move from where I lived because my home was being targeted. It can get nasty out there. So a woman with few followers telling a grandmother that Facebook friends are going to be on alert by her presence is somewhat of a joke, but it’s not to people who aren’t used to being mobbed—and this is the serious point.
Most people on social media are just there to talk to family, maybe engage in some political discussion, share recipes, pictures, etc., and they’re not accustomed to being threatened by a mob just because they support a candidate. When it happens, it can be a little troubling, to say the least. It can also have its desired effect—make them not want to communicate on social media. Worse, it can make them comply with the mob’s demands because they doubt themselves and become afraid. It might even make them change their vote or not vote at all. Regardless of how it might affect their actions, it certainly generates anxiety and nervousness, creating feelings of isolation—something grandma on social media doesn’t deserve.
So what do we do when faced with something like this? We can choose to ignore it. That might be wise in most cases. We can choose to respond and get into an argument. That’s not always very productive, especially since we’re dealing with irrational people. But if you’re the fighter type and up to it, go for it—with grace.
What you can’t do is let it intimidate you. Don’t stop speaking. Don’t stop standing for what you believe is right. Don’t stop supporting your candidates for office. Don’t let bullies cause you to rethink your position simply because you’re afraid. And if you see it happening to others, let those people know you support them. Send them a message telling them they’re not alone, that they don’t need to be afraid, and that there are still good people in this world who don’t use bully tactics to silence those they disagree with.
Finally, pray for these people. Pray that God will take the anger and rage from their hearts. Pray that God will open their eyes to the truth about human society and human relations. Pray that if they don’t know Christ, that they will repent of their sins and put their faith in him, for only through him will any of us find peace that passes all understanding in this turbulent world. Only through him will we learn to truly love our neighbors—even when we disagree.
Article originally appeared in Romans One.
COVID-19 may take down an independent news outlet
Nobody said running a media site would be easy. We could use some help keeping this site afloat.
Colleagues have called me the worst fundraiser ever. My skills are squarely rooted on the journalistic side of running a news outlet. Paying the bills has never been my forte, but we’ve survived. We have ads on the site that help, but since the site’s inception this has been a labor of love that otherwise doesn’t bring in the level of revenue necessary to justify it.
When I left a nice, corporate career in 2017, I did so knowing I wouldn’t make nearly as much money. But what we do at NOQ Report to deliver the truth and fight the progressive mainstream media narrative that has plagued this nation is too important for me to sacrifice it for the sake of wealth. We know we’ll never make a ton of money this way, and we’re okay with that.
Things have become harder with the coronavirus lockdowns. Both ad money and donations that have kept us afloat for a while have dropped dramatically. We thought we could weather the storm, but the so-called “surge” or “2nd-wave” that mainstream media and Democrats are pushing has put our prospects in jeopardy. In short, we are now in desperate need of financial assistance.
The best way NOQ Report readers can help is to donate. Our Giving Fuel page makes it easy to donate one-time or monthly. Alternatively, you can donate through PayPal as well. We need approximately $11,500 to stay afloat for the rest of 2020, but more would be wonderful and any amount that brings us closer to our goal is greatly appreciated.
The second way to help is to become a partner. We’ve strongly considered seeking angel investors in the past but because we were paying the bills, it didn’t seem necessary. Now, we’re struggling to pay the bills. This shouldn’t be the case as our traffic the last year has been going up dramatically. June, 2018, we had 11,678 visitors. A year later in June, 2019, we were up to 116,194. In June, 2020, we had 614,192. We’re heading in the right direction and we believe we’re ready talk to patriotic investors who want to not only “get in on the action” but more importantly who want to help America hear the truth. Interested investors should contact me directly with the contact button above.
Election year or not, coronavirus lockdowns or not, anarchic riots or not, the need for truthful journalism endures. But in these times, we need as many conservative media voices as possible. Please help keep NOQ Report going.
American Conservative Movement
Join fellow patriots as we form a grassroots movement to advance the cause of conservatism. The coronavirus crisis has prompted many, even some conservatives, to promote authoritarianism. It’s understandable to some extent now, but it must not be allowed to embed itself in American life. We currently have 8000+ patriots with us in a very short time. If you are interested, please join us to receive updates.
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