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In my recent column for The Nevada Independent I opine about the excess of political intolerance in our partisan era:

“Indeed, we live in a culturally censorious time, where one’s virtue is seemingly determined by who one chooses to vilify and malign, rather than any adherence to liberal principles — principles such as the basic freedom to voice stupid, absurd or even injurious opinions.”

At the risk of sounding too “both-siderist” here, I pointed out that the intolerance driving the so-called “cancel culture” isn’t something that’s unique to the progressive movement.

“To be sure, there is a contingent of the progressive movement that seems to believe anyone who challenges their ideological orthodoxy must be a fascist looking to revive the Third Reich, and should therefore be summarily deplatformed, shouted down or run out of the public square. However, such disdain for political opponents is not unique to the American Left. The political right has embarked on their own crusade against those who are outside their ideological tribe — and their intolerance for dissent has become just as profound in consequential ways.”   

Moreover, the trends in modern politics — on both the left and the right — seem to be driving us toward a future where the basic concept of free expression is more imperiled than it has been in some time.

However, there’s a little bit of a silver lining… The mere fact that we are currently stuck in an absurd tug-of-war between increasingly intolerant and vitriolic partisan tribes is an indication that — despite their best efforts — neither extreme has yet managed to shut off the valve of free expression.

We’ll see how long it stays that way.

Click here to read the article in its entirety.