"A poll in Germany found only 18 percent of Germans feel free to express their views in public. Notably, over 31 percent of Germans did not even feel free expressing themselves in private among friends. Just 17 percent felt free to express themselves on the Internet and 35 percent said that freedom to speak is confined to the smallest of private circles," writes Zero Hedge.
Through the free and liberal Europe this has become more of a norm than exception. Stasi might have made every 63rd German an informant, but on today's Germany, Stasi has nothing. During the Cold War there were clear lines in the Communist regimes, a list of topics you knew were verboten. The things you did not discuss at all. The things your father or grandfather might only tell you half drunk in half-riddles. And you knew to keep it to yourself even if you did not understand any of it.
These days it's much worse. The powers that be tell you, you live in a free country, that you are free to state what you think. They insist on you telling them what you think, until you do. Then it becomes problematic. And then you have to face consequences for the things you thought you could say.
It reminds me of a story by Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek. He once said that a liberal or progressive father is far worse than a strict totalitarian father. He gave an example. A strict, totalitarian father will order you, to go visit your grandmother even if you don't like her. There won't be any debate about it. He won't care how you feel about it, but that you do it. A liberal father on the other hand will play on your conscience. "Go visit your grandmother, you know how much she loves you." A liberal father is trying to guilt trip you into doing something. What is more, says Žižek, it's no enough that you do it, you have to like it as well.
East Germans could live in fear that one of their closest friends, or even one of their family members could be a Stasi informant. But they at least know which subject not to broach. These days, any topic is forbidden topic, but all of the topics must be discussed. It's like baiting you into confession. To admit that you are guilty of some imagined offence against someone somewhere.
Is it any surprise then to learn that even the lawmakers in Norway are afraid to put the expansion of penal code that condemns people found guilty of "hate speech" against transgenders to a fine or up to a year in jail for PRIVATE REMARKS, and a maximum of three years in jail for public comments up to a vote? According to Reuters the Norway's lawmakers lowered their heads, and approved the abominable law without even a whimper.
To make things absolutely clear, according to Wikipedia: "Norway prohibits hate speech, and defines it as publicly making statements that threaten or show contempt towards someone or that incite hatred, persecution or contempt for someone due to their skin colour, ethnic origin, homosexual orientation, religion or philosophy of life." The new expansion includes transgenders. But what is a complete lunacy, the laws gave the authorities power to prosecute an individual for showing contempt towards someone in public.
Now if you in Norways show contempt towards transgenders in private, you can end up in jail. This is thoughtcrime! It's illegal to have a certain feeling about a certain topic in Norway. It is modern day 1984!
But if you ask the elites in Brussels, it is Hungary who has troubles with the rule of law, because they want to enshrine the protection of a normal family in constitution. I'm sure, that if you say somehing like that in Norway, that's hate speech.
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