When did we become so terrified of different points of view?
MINOT, N.D. — One of our responsibilities as citizens of this country is to understand that living in a free society means we’re going to run into some things — be it speech or art or ideas — we don’t like.
Our duty is to support an expansive right to free speech anyway.
And, boy, are we failing at that right now. Ideological puritanism is on the rise, left and right. Americans, increasingly, are unwilling to listen to one another, or even live and let live.
The U.S. Supreme Court just had to step in and rule that it’s OK for a football coach to hold voluntary prayer meetings in a public circle. Artists and authors like J.K. Rowling have been ostracized, and seen their works destroyed , over their political statements.
We live in an intolerant time.
