In George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel “1984,” protagonist Winston wonders whether he is the only person who retains a real memory and doubts the narrative of The Party. He has no way to find out whether everyone else truly believes the government-revised version of history, or simply acts like they do; discussing such matters is verboten, punishable by vaporization: deletion from history. Fortunately we are not quite at that point in the United States — no one has yet been vaporized.
However, we seem to be imprisoned by the force of social disapproval just as surely as Winston was imprisoned by the threat of instant death. Millions of lockdown opponents won’t make their position known even to their closest family and friends; taking a position publicly is unthinkable — they would lose social standing, clients, and possibly even their jobs. Thanks to this dynamic, the pro-lockdown crowd enjoys the appearance of majority consensus, and everyone gets…more lockdown.
If we all spoke freely, the result would be different. We are allowing social dynamics to control us by dictating which opinions are “acceptable.” This creates two distinctly misguided groups: one made up of people who hold secret views and behave inauthentically in order to please others, harboring secret resentment; the second believing it is larger and more powerful than it actually is. This false reality is not good for anyone. Believing you have legitimate support when you have only silenced dissent with intimidation is a great way to drive yourself off of a cliff.
Opinions must be freely expressed and properly dealt with to ensure good decisions are made. What this demands of us is the courage to speak even when our views are unpopular; to listen even when we would rather not hear; and to stop reflexively disregarding people who disagree with us as inherently defective. This country is built on free competition and debate, on checks and balances, on diversity of background, experience, and viewpoint. It is through resolving conflicts that we achieve justice and find equilibrium. Pretending we have no disagreements so we can avoid confrontation is a cowardly relinquishment of freedom without a fight. It betrays the American spirit.
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