The rise of the labellers

This appears to be an attempt to prevent free speech. When someone is labelled as homophobic we should ignore such labelling and listen with an open mind to the arguments put forward. If the most red-neck homophobe has an opinion on same-sex marriage for instance he has a right in our democracy to be heard on the subject. He may well have insights that are unique and very helpful to finding a consensus amongst disparate groups. He may well have nothing of value to add to the discussion but he has a right to express his views.

Whilst it may be a right to make a judgement on his homophobia it cannot be a reason for excluding him from discussions on a particular topic like same-sex marriage. This is what labellers hope to achieve. In effect they are saying to their audience 'do not listen to the opinions of this man simply because he is homophobic'. This flies in the face of all our cherished values in regard to free speech.

The same is true of other labelling tactics. If a man expresses an opinion that women do not agree with it does not automatically make him a misogynist or if you disagree with some of Israel's foreign policies you are not automatically anti-Semitic. If you are misogynist or anti-Semitic then you are still a human being with a right to express opinions.

When someone labels another person in this way they should be challenged. They should be asked to present evidence to support their claim or to withdraw their claim. If they can present evidence then they should be presented with the reality of everyone's right to express an opinion no matter what their 'phobias' may be. There intent is clearly to clamp down on free speech and such behaviour is much more of a threat to society than any kind of phobia an individual may possess.

It may appear that such attacks on our freedoms are of little consequence in the scheme of things. If that is the case then it should not present a problem for people to refrain from using such words at all. This would be the test of their real motivation. They would only insist if they had some hidden agenda.

If such labelling is not challenged it can quickly become a part of public discourse to the detriment of us all as rational beings. We should not let our search for truth about issues that divide us be hijacked by people who present opinions without evidence or by people who aim to curtail free speech. Too often we see that those who shout 'homophobic' or 'anti-Semitic' get the most attention when they should get none at all. Resorting to such tactics is a sure sign that they do not have reasonable arguments for their position. If they did they would have no fear of what anyone else has to say no matter how 'phobic' they might be.