I took some time off from writing. So that means I haven't visited OpEdNews much for more than a year.
But upon my return as a lifetime advocate member, I've learned that the top of the front-page is still graced with information about Google and their soft censorship practices. As I recall, this anti-democratic practice started in response to OpEdNews demonstrating the temerity to let people express themselves and even question conventional wisdom as Covid-19 went wilding in America.
So I wonder: What's the world coming to when the United States of America, its experts, opinion leaders and powerful corporations essentially conspired to limit speech and thus inquiry? It was challenging to ask this question several years ago. Now, though, it's a free throw at the foul line.
That's why I find it sad that Google continues to punish speech through its restrictive advertising policy even though society as a whole now finds it safe to acknowledge things that were so controversial not too long ago.
For instance, during the free-speech Covid-19 battles, I remember reading about whether folks could get natural immunity when they were infected by Covid-19. Now, though, all kinds of experts who shushed us speak freely about the reality of natural immunity.
I also remember how it was controversial for people to say the vaccines didn't offer durable immunity. No more. Now I train my eyes at the digital ink on my laptop and all sorts of highly-regarded medical experts tell us the jabs become less and less potent over time.
More significantly, though, Americans went to war over whether everyone, or almost everyone, ought to get vaccinated. But now it's common for mainstream medical spokespeople to insist that a one-size-fits-all policy is not an appropriate prescription. In other words, you should probably get a jab if you're elderly or suffer from a weakened immune system or a combination of maladies. On the other hand, you should feel free to decide what's best for yourself if you're young and healthy.
I could go on. But this Covidian, as I was called by some OpEdNews writers during the political fever that infected our country, continues to get booster shots. So I'm kind of eclectic in how I view our sad and complicated history. And despite our imperfections, it's pretty darn clear to me that Google needs to learn from the people they serve.
We've moved on. We've adjusted. Many of us have learned. And folks like me are comfortable saying, "Ain't nobody got everything right during our Covid-19 panic."
So, if only Google, with its billions, didn't build up such a powerful immunity to reality.
But it's not too late for Sundar Pichai to tear down his walls of soft censorship. And let freedom ring.
(Article changed on Sep 11, 2024 at 9:28 PM EDT)
