Conflate. I feel the need to use this word in order to explain why public opposition to certain ideologies is being shut down by those who support those ideologies, as well as why some who oppose those ideologies operate under a self-imposed censorship in these matters.
One reason for this politically correct orchestration of public discourse is that our culture has successfully been coached to conflate the idea of love with that of approval. Conflate means to fuse or merge two (often quite different) ideas or events into one entity. It is such a common occurrence now in western society to hear or read about someone being accused of hate speech because they oppose a certain ideology or lifestyle that it has to be clear to all critically-thinking people that those who orchestrated the re-definition of words and ideas have been astoundingly successful in conflating the concepts of love and approval and its inverse: hate and disapproval.
I have been advised by well-meaning and caring persons in this community to not speak out against the LGBT+ protagonists or their campaign to redefine sexual morality, sexuality, family and marriage because I may be branded as hateful. Well, I do not conflate love with approval nor hate with disapproval. I still believe it is possible to point out what is ideologically and behaviourally wrong in society and individuals and do it because I love and care for persons. I believe that every good parent shares my view that if you really love your child you will not support a sinful or destructive lifestyle by remaining silent. Such silence kills. It is not loving.
Maybe being “liked” and getting “thumbs-up” emojis have become so important to some of us that approval takes priority over truth, love and genuine compassion for others. The analogy to “friends don’t let friends drive drunk” is that love does not withhold disapproval to the detriment of others.
One final observation: if we allow the conflation of the concepts of disapproval and hate to go unchallenged, we will bear responsibility for the destruction of the foundations for freedom of speech, freedom of public discourse, freedom of conscience, freedom of association and freedom of religion. This is not idle theory. These realities are being played out today in countries such as the UK, Canada, Australia and the USA.
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