Summary of the Article
Mr. Taibbi’s editorial, The West Betrayal of Freedom, reveals intriguing details of how the Western Front has abused democracy and freedoms in hidden propaganda. The article reveals enormous incidents in how the Western nations perpetuate the spread of propaganda to favor leaders and government while disregarding the democracy claims they promote. Further, Mr. Taibbi reveals that Western nations have been initially committed to democracy and freedom for people and nations. They advocated for vast human rights protections even when people had contradicting opinions and ideologies. However, there has been increased censorship of the democracy and freedoms. This has emanated from the arguments of absolute freedoms being risky. A case of protesters is presented as a prime example where the West has used it to demonstrate the risks of absolute democracy.
Besides, Mr Taibbi’s publication argues how Western governments have suppressed dissent. Although people have rights and freedom of expression, the West feels these liberties threaten them. As a result, the West has had special reservations about respecting the freedom of speech and expression. People are no longer allowed the absolute right to express their views and concerns in Western nations. This is predicated on the government dealing with divergent opinions as dissent (Taibbi). Individuals with diverse opinions have been, at times, labeled as terrorists and perceived as threats to the West. The censorship and invasion of freedoms in Western nations have also been treated with propaganda, which makes people believe the intention of those in power and the government. There have been declarations of the censorship and infringement of rights being justified for the benefit of the nation or majority. Besides, the Western nations released press conferences to counter the censorship illegalities by declaring they had met the required threshold for the operations. The promotion of this propaganda is effective in the suppression of dissent and diverse opinions in the community. Therefore, the freedoms are more controlled through government actions despite being fundamentally accorded to citizens by the Constitution.
The final argument presented in the article is double standards in the context of human freedoms and democracy. The article presents intriguing details of how the West has advocated for democracy and freedoms in other regions. However, regarding issues that affect them, they raise censorship and surveillance measures to reduce their freedoms. This shows a hypocritical appeal for commitment towards freedom. The downplay of the double standards has been seen in economic sanctions imposed to target those with dissent. There have been ‘warped freedom ideology’; however, the Western hype eventually equated freedom to danger.
Weighing the Arguments Presented
The article presents compelling arguments for Western intrusion on personal freedoms and liberty. It highlights the current trends in Western press releases, which dupes most freedoms as misinformation on liberties. The article uses a relevant and current example of the COVID-19 vaccines, which raises arguments of a global conspiracy. The Western nations called for those with dissent opinions as extremists who amplified the argument based on misinformation. In the quest to sway people, the West deploys stringent measures for those with contradicting views. The article shows how leaders and governments later make publications that seek to justify their actions on such people and the arguments presented. Further, the article expounds on censorship of individual actions, which aims to limit absolute democracy for community members. An excellent example is depicted through the Twitter project, which collects vast data on individuals and is later used to manipulate people. Accounts of a double standard in the battle for freedom and democracy are also presented as one of the issues that resonate with contemporary concerns. Western frontiers have been supporters of democracy and respect for personal liberties in other nations. However, while dealing with their local concerns, they have used adverse measures against those with dissent and contradictory views. This reveals ingenuity in promoting liberty and democracy with the rise of the ‘new P.R Campaign,’ which seeks to spread hatred and ignorance for people with divergent ideas.
However, Mr. Taibbi’s arguments have limitations in justification of the limitations imposed by the West on democracy and personal liberties. Although the arguments raised on censorship and manipulating people are realistic and resonate with the incidents presented, some cases deserve regulation of the freedoms and liberties in ensuring peace and cohesive coexistence of communities. The article should suggest what should be done to ensure reduced chances of terrorism development in the West. The measures of censorship on liberties of expression and speech must be evaluated to prevent the spread of hate and radicalism, which could lead to the rise of terror threats.
Conclusion
The article The West’s Betrayal of Freedom by Mr. Taibbi is a masterpiece critique of how Western nations encroach on human freedoms and democracy. Despite the Western’s infamous campaigns on democracy and respect for personal liberties, the article reveals questionable approaches to dismiss dissent and diverse opinions in their communities. Propaganda and misinformation are used in justification against absolute democracy and freedoms to counter the liberties in the contemporary era. Therefore, the article calls for vigilance in evaluating information published by the press and government sources regarding freedom and democracy.
Works Cited
Taibbi, Matt. “The West’s Betrayal of Freedom.” 19 Feb. 2023, www.racket.news/p/the-wests-betrayal-of-freedom. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.
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