Conservatives have long referred to themselves as the “Silent Majority.” The norm has long been that we law-abiding conservatives are quiet and less often heard than our counterparts on the Left. We do not riot or throw fits of outrage as the Left are prone to do. We have long felt that although we are not as loud, we do constitute the majority in this country. Our silence was mostly our own doing. We tended not to speak up as much, not to overreact as much, but when we made our voices heard, we did so at the voting booth. This is how it WAS. Things have changed.
Now, we have become the “Silenced Majority.” Our voices are not heard in the mainstream media. Our opposing viewpoints are no longer being shared in that forum. Our opinions are not welcome there, and they simply are not given any time. We all know the new norm is that opposing viewpoints are ignored and not given a platform. We all know that the same is now true for our social media forums. Note that I use the word “forum” repeatedly on purpose. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as a public meeting place (or a print or online medium) for the purpose of the “open discussion or expression of ideas.” These private companies enjoy protection from liability because they once represented a digital, online “forum.” They are no longer that. Opinions are flagged, fact-checked, or marked as inaccurate or inappropriate for discussion within their platforms. Unfortunately, it is a one-sided suppression. It is censorship, plain, and simple. Now, many of us are concerned that our voices are being artificially drowned out even at the ballot box. All these factors combined in an unprecedented level of censorship this year. We are no longer the “Silent Majority,” we are now the “Silenced Majority.”
