National Post (National Edition)

Why debate is a virtue, not a sin

- LESLYN LEWIS National Post Leslyn Lewis will be running for the Conservati­ve Party of Canada in the Ontario riding of Haldimand-Norfolk in the next federal election.

The old childhood adage, “Stick and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” is dead. This simple phrase, quoted by so many from my generation, has helped a lot of parents explain a simple truth to children: no matter what someone says to you, your feelings and emotions are your own responsibi­lity. We understood that people might have a bad opinion of us, and they might even say bad things about us, but their words could only hurt us if we let them.

Today, however, people are not free to disagree, and even an innocent or naive verbal misstep can have dire consequenc­es. This is most evident in our current political climate. While “PC culture” has been an issue for years, it has taken a sudden turn toward a cultish “us” versus “them” narrative. You are either “woke” and “on the right side of history,” or you are evil, backward and full of hate. Like any cult, loyalty must be 100 per cent, and to question a single point of their narrative is enough to get you “cancelled.”

This radical movement to suppress dialogue, speech and even beliefs is often supported by the media, which dictate what is and isn't fact. Reported news is replaced by opinions and commentari­es. Once these unsubstant­iated facts are planted in the mind, they form a belief system that becomes very difficult to change: the connection to the belief and those who agree with it creates an emotional attachment to a warped version of reality, similar to how cults recruit and hold adherents.

Canadian society has sped quickly toward an echo chamber, in which the occupants no longer tolerate the slightest disagreeme­nt. Rather than debating another person's opinion, it is now acceptable to refute an argument by claiming it is “false,” a “lie” or “unscientif­ic.”

Of course, it doesn't matter how truthful or scientific anything actually is, if it is counter to the woke narrative, it must be a lie. No facts, scientific evidence or data is necessary in order for people to accept that a statement is a lie. After a person is successful­ly labelled a liar, then that person's difference of opinion relegates her to the category of an enemy of the state.

Everything is now seen through the lens of good guys and bad guys, and being labelled as a bad guy means that you can be fired from your job or kicked out of school, not because of your job performanc­e or your grades, but because of your beliefs.

Being “them” means you can be banned from social media, and even ostracized in real-life social circles, because your words of disagreeme­nt are now treated as actual violence if someone's feelings are hurt.

The days of raising strong children who would not allow words to “break their bones” are gone. We are left with frail adults who claim victimhood as a means to suppress speech and lord over their alleged oppressor. We have come to devalue personal responsibi­lity — namely, the responsibi­lity to acknowledg­e that your reaction to someone else's words is on you. We have moved away from the recognitio­n that we control our own emotions, and that someone else's opinions cannot harm us, unless we allow it to.

Free speech is dying, but there is hope for the human spirit to return to its origin of freedom, free will, free speech and free belief. It starts with a willingnes­s to see informatio­n through the lens of truth. We must rebel against the movement to disconnect reality from facts, and return to a society that encourages dialogue and seeks out truth, in the spirit of philosophe­rs like Socrates, Plato and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.

The human spirit may be muted, but it cannot be silenced. It is intrinsica­lly tied to our freedom to believe and to speak our minds. There is much to learn from discoverin­g that one is wrong or right about any particular subject. A good argument between two people who counter each other's ideas until both emerge wiser, whether they ultimately end up agreeing or not, is a necessary part of human developmen­t and a strong society.

I have heard so many Canadians tell me that they long for the days when holding your own in a verbal disagreeme­nt was not only allowed, but seen as a sign of intellect. The extreme tribalism that is silencing dissenting opinions has resulted in a fractured society, and has no place in a democracy.

I believe that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the innate human spirit that longs to be free requires us to defend our ability to have a plurality of opinions — and to voice them.

Maybe you think I'm wrong here. To that I simply say that I respectful­ly disagree.

EVERYTHING IS NOW SEEN THROUGH THE LENS OF GOOD GUYS AND BAD GUYS. — LESLYN LEWIS

 ?? HANNAH MCKAY / REUTERS ?? A supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump clashes with a protester during an anti-Trump rally in the aftermath
of the 2020 U.S. presidenti­al election.
HANNAH MCKAY / REUTERS A supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump clashes with a protester during an anti-Trump rally in the aftermath of the 2020 U.S. presidenti­al election.

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