THE ADVOCATE

“IT IS THEREFORE WORRISOME, WHEN GOVERNMENT/ POLICE REACT SO INAPPROPRIATELY TO SUCH CAUSES, BECAUSE WHEN A DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT BECOMES SOMEWHAT INTOLERANT OF CRITICISM, IT BORDERS ON BEING PARANOID, AS HYPERSENSITIVITY TO CRITICISM/ANGER AT BEING CRITICISED, ARE BOTH SYMPTOMS OF PARANOIA, A FORM OF MENTAL ILLNESS IN INDIVIDUALS”

rule of law and common good, while some of the characteristics of a Police State are “bureaucracy, perpetual wars, surveillance, wide spread police presence”; a Police Force that serves the State as opposed to serving the citizens. When the Army announces that it will start to monitor social media, and the Police is always on hand to obstruct people who are lawfully ventilating their legitimate grievances, grievances that are seen as anti-government, one cannot deny that some of the characteristics of a Police State are certainly present (in a supposed Democracy).

Paranoia It is bizarre and worrisome that Government’s reaction these days to criticism (through its various spokes people), even to constructive criticism, is to refer to them as ‘hate speech’! To be clear, hate speech is defined by Wikipedia as “speech which attacks a person or group on the basis of attributes such as race, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, or gender”. People campaigning for the return of Chibok girls, is not an attack on anyone. It is a show of concern for the plight of our fellow human beings, and a legitimate demand. It is therefore worrisome, when Government/Police react so inappropriately to such causes, because when a democratic government becomes somewhat intolerant of criticism, it borders on being paranoid, as hypersensitivity to criticism/anger at being criticised, are both symptoms of paranoia, a form of mental illness in individuals.