noun
the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint:
He won his freedom after a retrial.exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.
the power to determine action without restraint.
political or national independence.
personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery: a slave who bought his freedom.
exemption from the presence of anything specified (usually followed by from):
freedom from fear.the absence of or release from ties, obligations, etc.
Freedom: It’s something very often exalted by people who haven’t the foggiest what it means. Just to be certain that we’re all on the same page, then, I’ve included a handy definition from Dictionary.com.
You’ll probably notice that nowhere in the definition does it mention the right to elevate yourself above others not fortunate enough to be born White. Your skin is White because of an accident of birth, NOT because you’re a morally superior being who should by rights be allowed dominion and control over [insert pejorative here], a descriptor you believe it appropriate to employ when describing people whose only “crime” is not having white skin.
Nor does the definition include the unquestioned right to hate and oppress those who happen to live and love differently. You may believe that marriage should be without reservation or compromise a one man/one woman proposition and that homosexuality is an abomination before God. That’s your right in a free society. What you don’t have is the right to force your narrow moral agenda upon all Americans, including those who happen live, believe, think, and/or love differently than you. If you don’t believe in same-sex marriage, then don’t marry someone of the same gender. Problem solved.
The definition of “freedom” doesn’t mean you’re free to impose your anger- and ignorance-driven Conservative views on those “guilty” of thinking differently. Being a Liberal doesn’t make a person bad or evil or worthy of death; it just means they think for themselves and have come to different conclusions regarding philosophical, religious, and political aspects of life. Democracy thrives on competing points of view and the exchange of ideas. Your idea of “freedom” seems to be about shutting down those you disagree with. You’d be apoplectic if that was done to you (as you are for thinking that’s what’s being done to you now)…so why should it be acceptable to do it to others who happen not to share your views?
As for being a gun owner, the 2nd Amendment doesn’t provide for the right to carry any amount of firepower you want anywhere you want to carry it. As with anything in life, there are limits. Not that you’re prone to accepting the reality that your gun rights don’t supersede any and all other possible considerations, including public safety. The 2nd Amendment doesn’t provide carte blanche to gun owners, and you don’t get to interpret it in a way that’s uniquely and supremely self-serving. We all have to deal with limits in life; that’s not curtailing freedom, that’s just a fact of life in America. Get over yourself…and try thinking of something besides your own narrow self-interest for a change…or do you simply not give a damn about the rights of others?
As for being “Southern,” whatever that might mean, there’s no freedom to be gratuitously hateful and insulting to African-Americans…or any other minority class…simply because you’re a Good Ol’ Boy who believes the South was never really defeated. You aren’t free to flaunt your heritage if it’s considered offensive and degrading by those whose forebears suffered because of it. “Southern” isn’t an all-encompassing euphemism for “racist, ignorant, callous, and insensitive.” If your heritage is about racism, oppression, and evil, your heritage sucks. If you expect your heritage and sensibilities to be respected, how about giving some thought to how those things impact others and have been used to repress and enslave others guilty only of having black skin?
Being American means understanding that with freedom comes responsibility and obligation. You don’t get to claim or demand a freedom without accepting the respoinsibilities and/or obligations that come with it. You don’t get to demand that others respect what you define as a right when you treat them and their concerns with disdain. Being an American means there’s no right to be a crybaby. No one’s disrespecting you because White, straight, Republican, a gun owner, and/or Southern- those are what I like to call limits, something ALL of us have to respect in order for society to function. You’re no different, better, or worse than anyone else…except for your self-entitled attitude and generalized disdain for anything but your own narrow self-interest.
Get over yourself.
