What is Normal?

These days we hear a lot about the word, Normal. Over the past couple of years we have heard conservatives complain that the left is trying to normalize pedophilia because they published articles by men admitting they have sexual desires for children, but would never act on those desires. Many men like the one in this Vice article end up killing themselves because of their guilt for having these desires. I don't understand how labeling something a psychological disorder is normalizing that problem. I find it odd that so many people don't want to prevent men from acting on pedophilia desires by having them feel safe in seeking out mental counseling. I often wonder why just the mention of such topics as pedophilia and LGBT sends some into a panic. Maybe it's because of some deep seated guilt.

There is one thing of which we can be sure, sex with small children will never become accepted by modern society, or seen as normal. In most of human history, sex with post pubescent girls has been considered normal. Until about 75 years ago, it was common for older men to marry girls as young as 13. This happened because boys were seen as an asset on the farm, or they could even work in factories. Daughters were seen as a burden so they were married off as soon as they passed puberty. Normal is always set by society, which means anything that's considered acceptable.

The Digital Town Square

Is social media truly the new town square? There have been a lot of conservative and ideologically right voices being banned from Facebook and Twitter. Some on the ideological right say these are private businesses and have a right to ban whomever they please.

I've personally been torn between thoughts. My first reaction is that we don't want government interfering in private businesses. We all know that government is constantly regulating businesses, but those of us for a free market work to fight against regulations.

There is one possible way to fight against people being banned, and that's through civil suits. There was recently a mass banning of right-wing people and groups from Facebook in the name of clearing the site of hate groups. Labeling a group or person as hate can have financial and social harm. I believe we will see some lawsuits against Facebook and Twitter for this labeling. Civil suits can protect the rich, but the average person can't afford to sue a large corporation.

Democratic Socialism Failures

What's the difference between regular socialism and Democratic Socialism? There is none, because socialism usually ends in a tyranny, American socialists believe they can bring in more people if they say their form will be better because people will be allowed to vote for their leaders. Simply put, it's just an illusion because Democratic Socialists want to have total control.

Socialism seems to be the topic of interest for democrats. I doubt most of the people bashing capitalism and praising socialism even know what it is. What most socialists talk about is free college and medical care. Those are social programs, but not socialism. Socialism is a political and economic theory of social organization, which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.

The important part of this is their use of “community.” Leftists make it sound as if community is you and your neighbors making decisions. Technically, that is correct, but in truth, you would elect people to make those decisions. We call those people government. If you listen to Democratic Socialists, they are always talking about expanding federal power. Many might find socialism acceptable if it was done on a local level, but people in Washington, DC know absolutely nothing about your community.

Mob Rule versus Free Speech

I doubt few today do not know who Donald Sterling is and why the NBA just announced that they would force him to sell the LA Clippers basketball team. Everyone is cheering this decision except for a small minority that believes we are watching what amounts to mob lynching. It's possible Sterling is a racist, but for sure a bigot.

I remember watching old Frankenstein movies where they peer from the castle tower to see towns people marching toward them with torches. This same scene has been repeated many times in real life and too often with deadly results. In the short history of the USA, we have had too many instances of mob rule.

The world has changed greatly. Today, instead of towns people carrying torches, they, now, carry pens and microphones. It seems almost daily someone is being tried and convicted by those with the loudest voices and the mightiest pens. There is always a call for swift justice against those who might say the wrong thing, or simply disagree with what was spoken.

In the recent case of Donald Sterling, the 81 year old man who some say has problems with senility, and also has a 30 year old black-Latino girlfriend, has been tried and convicted in the court of public opinion. Within a day of the release of a recording from a private conversation, the race masters were out calling for the NBA to take away his team. In quick response they have essentially done just that.

Societal Failure – Government Protectionism

In today's world we too often hear buzz words such as multiculturalism and diversity. For some they get a warm and fuzzy feeling from embracing such beliefs. The same people will in turn shout hateful rhetoric at those who might have different beliefs. History will likely show us that segments of the population embrace sub groups they perceive to be slighted, while having anger at those they believe to be slighting.

Everyone seems to be talking about this or that group needing protection, or believing they are victims of society. The reason for this is because most of us have, at times, found ourselves at the bottom, or an outsider in a group. In high school we would search for people who might also be outcasts or similar in personality to form our own group. There are some like myself who could float easily among all groups, but finding a true home with none – not because of others, but because of myself. I truly enjoyed diversity and often filled my life with some of the oddest and insane characters you will ever meet. That has at least made life interesting.

Throughout history we have found groups of people who were bound into slavery. Today, slavery is as prevalent as ever, yet few fight to free these people. We have a media that seems to talk daily about a new victim class, but rarely about today's slaves. With that said, we can never end victim-hood. As long as humans survive they will hold prejudices against their bothers and sisters for a variety of reasons. No law can protect us from prejudice. For the most part, laws have been written to promote discrimination. Demand freedom from government so that you can live your life as you see fit.