I am a child of the 60s. The last half of that decade was my high school years. It was a tumultuous time of social upheaval and change, and was both confusing and exciting for those of us who lived through it. Even back then, pre-internet, I was a bit of a news junkie who read Time, Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report magazines cover to cover. One of the fascinating things about the 60s was the very vocal FREE SPEECH movement. It was a far left, radical, challenge-the-established-order student-led effort to expand the political dialog, and assure that all points of view were heard and considered.
I was a pretty conservative kid, even back then, and often disagreed with both the message and the tactics of the Free Speech Movement, but I recognized, even then, that they made one significant point that was important to an open, democratic society: they made us all realize that the ability to speak freely, to express one’s views even if… no: ESPECIALLY if… those views are controversial or out of step with the common understanding, is healthy and vital to a robust free society.
I miss them.
The left of today is precisely the opposite. Rather than applauding free speech and celebrating a diversity of views, the 21st Century left demands lockstep conformity and will shout down and attempt to shame anyone who dares deviate. They seem to have forgotten when they were the outliers of society and their views were stifled and silenced. They have forgotten how they once railed against suppression of unpopular views.
I miss the 60s liberals.