Thursday 9 September 2021

The 'Freedom' Essay

 The NY Times had a guest essay piece on Monday.  This was a liberal piece written by Margaret Renkl, and her theme for the essay was.....there's just too much freedom, and you need the government to just run/supervise things.

She ranted on about how southerners were die in some unnecessary way because they just weren't going to play Covid the right way....they weren't handling natural disasters the right way....they were preventing abortions....and they were fully accepting of gun violence.  

Course, in her mind....all of this lead back to this crazy stuff called 'freedom'.  The suggestion is....there's just too much freedom......we need less of it.

There are several problems in the essay (at least I thought so).

Chicago is the centerpoint of gun violence in America, with massive regulation and government involvement.  There is no way to describe Chicago as a 'southern-city'.  But in Renkl's mind.....Chicago would have to be 'southern'.  

Then I looked over at wildfire management in California.  In Renkl's mind....the fires have to relate to 'southern mentality', but it's hard to suggest Californians are 'southern' in nature.  

Homelessness throughout America?  Perhaps created by some southern mentality?  Well....NO.

Meth curse upon the nation?  A southern mentality thing? No.

Do I think Renkl is totally wrong?  No.  I do believe we need less freedom for journalists.  There should be a index of sorts....which stories you can talk about or stories you are forbidden to tell, with updates listed each month for the general public and journalists to read/observe.  

In fact, we just need less news in general.  The nightly broadcast should be limited to just fifteen minutes.   All of this could be done by governmental control....more regulations, and more 'whatever'.

I might even be more agreeable to less freedom on travel.  Folks should just stay around their home-town or local area.  

Maybe we even need less freedom on sodas.  When you walk into a Wal-Mart....instead of 120 different types of sodas....maybe there should only be Tab, Diet Pepsi, and Mountain Dew.  

Yes, maybe the day has come where we just need a good dose for five years....of less freedom....to wise up and appreciate what we do have.  

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