Tone down the rhetoric?

Our Prime Minister is telling us we have to tone down the rhetoric... that the social problems besetting this country are our fault. Really?

Apparently the problems have nothing to do with not listening. It is apparently fine for him to say whatever he likes. He might try to camouflage it with words he believes are carefully chosen but he is still able to say what he wants us to hear. He does not want us to respond. There is no room or time for listening. 

"Look, it is what we have decided to do. If the electorate doesn't like it too bad. Give some of the biggest whingers a lolly to suck and ignore the rest. We can blame it all on that red headed woman," is how it apparently goes in our nation's capital.

Communication is a two way street. What is happening is not communication. It is dictation. Argument is not being tolerated. Dissent is not being tolerated "People have to learn..." 

Two days ago we had an incident of the most appalling violence. One of the members of parliament was deliberately hit by a vehicle driven by someone who is obviously not normal. It was not normal behaviour. I have not heard one person express anything but shock and concern over this. "If we want to change things then this is not how you go about it," has been the general view. 

The politician in question is an "independent". I may not share all her views but it seems to me she was doing a better job than some I actually know. Her life will never be the same again. Our Prime Minister said what was expected of him but he went on to use the incident for his own purposes. Now we are being told that "social media" is to blame for what happened, that this is why the government's "misinformation/disinformation" or "digital duty of care" bill needs to be passed. It needs to be passed "as soon as possible" to "prevent anything like this happening again". 

What absolute nonsense! This will make martyrs of people whose views differ from his own, that the government does not want expressed and most certainly not debated. It is an attempt to prevent healthy debate not stop those with extremist views making their voices heard. 

Social media gets inflamed by main stream media. "Protests" continue in part because main stream media encourages them with constant reporting of the events. The "climate change" message is constantly slipped into news reports. We are given the impression that bullies and murderers should be allowed to succeed in their efforts "for the sake of peace". All this is what we first learn through main stream news but it gets expanded and twisted in social media, often with encouragement from "leaders". Politicians use main stream media to "get the message across". It is a very powerful tool. Abuse it and you can do a great deal of harm. Try to stifle it and you can do a great deal of harm.  

The desire to control social media is understandable. It would make us much easier to govern. Is it possible? I think not. Communication is a two way street - and trying to stop the traffic flow will cause "accidents". Some people will aways try to find a way around it to do even more harm.  We need to keep the communication lanes open.