On and on it goes. If all whites are racists, then what is the definition of racism? If we believe in free speech, but ban speakers from our universities or riot if they appear, then what is free speech? If we believe in freedom of religion, but then redefine the word as did the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in 2016 – “‘the phrases “religious liberty” and “religious freedom”’ are nothing but ‘code words for discrimination, intolerance, racism, sexism…’” – then what does our Bill of Rights mean when it guarantees freedom of religion?
When protesters become terrorists, when we corrupt thinking and language, when we can no longer agree on even fundamental definitions for words such as man, woman, marriage, and baby, then we can be certain that more abstract concepts – justice, liberty, the right to speak truth, the dignity of the human person – are in grave jeopardy of being twisted into unrecognizable doublespeak.
Let’s visit George Orwell one more time. In this dialogue from 1984, O’Brien is torturing Winston Smith, trying to convince him that “whatever the Party holds to be truth, is truth.” O’Brien holds up four fingers, but wants Winston to see five. ‘You are a slow learner, Winston,’ said O’Brien gently. ‘How can I help it?’ he blubbered. ‘How can I help but see what is in front of my eyes? Two and two are four.’ ‘Sometimes, Winston. Sometimes they are five. Sometimes they are three. Sometimes they are all of them at once. You must try harder. It is not easy to become sane.’ Far too often today, two plus two equals five.
Some today believe that abortion should be an option up to the moment of birth. They claim that the fetus has no right to life until separation from the mother. Yet these same people don’t blink when they say to a pregnant woman, “When’s your baby due?” Why don’t they say, “When’s your fetus due?” Or to be more precise: “When does your fetus become a human being?”