“Secrecy is the keystone to all tyranny. Not force, but secrecy and censorship. When any government or church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, ‘This you may not read, this you must not know,’ the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives. Mighty little force is needed to control a man who has been hoodwinked in this fashion; contrariwise, no amount of force can control a free man, whose mind is free. No, not the rack nor the atomic bomb, not anything. You can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him,” wrote Robert Heinlein, “The Past Through Tomorrow,” 1967.
Throughout history, totalitarian governments have used many methods, including censorship, to maintain power. Combining censorship with citizen spies expands the reach of the government and increases fear, another tool of authoritarians.
In Germany in the 1930s, the Nazis created a group called Hitler Youth. The goal was to foster absolute loyalty to Adolph Hitler and the Nazis by brainwashing children, encouraging them to denounce others.
As the Nazis gained power, community members spied on each other, turning in anyone who spoke against the Nazis. People learned not to trust anyone. Any perceived disloyalty to the Nazi creed was punished.
In 1966, Communist dictator Mao Zedong began the Cultural Revolution in China, with the goal of destroying China’s past in order to create a new future. Again, leaders encouraged the people to spy on each other.
One follower of Mao, Zhang Hongbing, turned in his own mother for alleged antirevolutionary actions. She was executed by the government. Zhang said, “For a child to criticize their parents wasn't just our household. The whole country was doing it.” (The Guardian, March 27, 2013)
There are many more examples in history of people spying on each other and denouncing anyone perceived as not conforming – the Soviet Union, North Korea, etc. – anywhere leaders want to impose their twisted vision of society. When leaders descend into these methods, it’s clear they know their ideas are faulty, so they resort to suppression to accomplish their goals.
We’re now seeing tactics like this in America. In Virginia, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin claims he wants to protect parental rights over their children’s education (HB781). This sounds good, but Youngkin’s method to accomplish this includes a tip line where anyone can “send ‘reports and observations’ about what they regard as objectionable conduct by teachers and school officials, including instruction in ‘inherently divisive’ ideas.” (Washington Post, Feb. 4, 2022).
So instead of talking to teachers, anyone can call an anonymous tip line and report a teacher over anything the person considers “objectionable” or “inherently divisive.” The end result will be to muzzle teachers, especially in discussions about race, since no one knows just what topics will be inherently divisive. Fear will effectively censor educators.
A similar bill, SB587, was introduced in West Virginia by Republicans. This bill also implements a tip line for people to report any teachings about race that make them uncomfortable. Sen. Owens Brown, president of the West Virginia NAACP, said, “If that’s not right out of the Soviet Union, you tell me differently.” (Parkersburg News & Sentinel, Feb. 13, 2022)
In Florida, the state legislature is debating HB1557, “Parental Rights in Education” or the “Don’t say gay” bill. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis supports this bill, an attempt to restrict classroom discussions of LGBT issues. It allows parents to sue school districts for anything that makes the parents uncomfortable, using fear to censor teachers. Similar laws have passed in Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas.
All these bills are aimed not at educating children but at intimidating teachers and keeping people from feeling “uncomfortable” about anything that might disturb them. These are true examples of “cancel culture,” attempts to limit intellectual freedom.
These laws continue a dark history, leading to tragic consequences. As the opening quote says, “When any government or church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, ‘This you may not read, this you must not know,’ the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives.”
A German poet, Heinrich Heine (1797-1856), foreshadowed what eventually happens: “Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings.”
We must push back against anyone who claims they are protecting us by stifling our words and thoughts. We must recognize them for the tyrants they are and fight to keep our freedoms. If we don’t, we’ll lose everything worth preserving.
Jeanette Strong, whose column appears every other week, is a Nevada Press Association award-winning columnist. She may be reached at news@lahontanvalleynews.com.
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