I am not Charlie
Or about the freedom to do vs the freedom to be

I have met my dear friend Margot, amazing writer and author of the previous post “The Freedom to Offend” last week over lunch. We talked a bit about the article in progress, the events, world issues (and us, well of course). We agreed the topic would be even more interesting if open to discussion. Just for the heck of it.

Well, elle est confused, je suis confused aussi. Any problem on the table – as clear as it may seem at a first glance-, put in front of another point of view becomes a riddle. Should we need the freedom to feel we are better than others, in other words to offend; the freedom to become dependant on something – like porn or marihuana for example- in order to feel free ( isn’t that called a pleonasm btw?) And the theorem can be applied to a countless number of equations. Endless ways of splitting the hair in four, as an old Romanian saying would go.

I often refrain from commenting on opinions different from my own because I believe everyone has the right to feel and believe as they find fit, as long as that does not hurt anyone. And maybe because I am not sure my point is the good one given I do not always necessarily study the case from all angles. But hey, sometimes is fun to have “elevated” conversations like this one, so hop on.

I felt, undoubtedly like pretty much any human being on the planet, that the attacks on Charlie’s magazine were more than wrong, stupid, senseless and horrible. As all the attacks and killings throughout the world. Maybe the Paris incident was a needed alarm signal meant to bring those in position do something about it together and stop this handful of extremists. A handful of people who made their own laws to live by and are being left to practice them to the detriment of others. Probably viewed from their perspective this is called freedom of practicing their own religion.

What I struggle with, is this “freedom” we apply to a rather large range of words. I am a christian and my freedom may come from another dimension. And then there’s the fact that I was born in a communist country and freedom of expression, like the freedom to offend and surely many other freedoms, did not exist.

A lot of things were censored during my childhood years. There was no violence allowed on TV or in the press, or pornography, or horror. Nor propaganda, or sarcasm, of course. Yes you got it, no freedom of speech. To many of those who were grown-ups back then times may have been often more grey than pink, unless they kept their mouths shut and praised the system. Because if one did not feel the need to be creative, different, or be his own boss, or travel abroad, life was not that bad. Everyone had a secure job immediately off the school benches (work-time ended at 4pm) a certain ratio of food (so that one wouldn’t have to fear obesity or overeating, all bio btw, internally produced), vacation time in very well organized vacation resorts and other. It was, at least to me and those alike in age, a beautiful era. Crime was well under control so we were on the streets playing until dawn without fearing abduction or who knows what else. Gangs were needless to say, inexistent. No Barbies or princesses either, everyone was bound to be the same: one cartoon on tv, one social situation, one car model – for those who actually owned a car ( there’s your traffic issue resolved lol)-, one uniform. Even the waiting lines were the same – be it for bread, gas or other. But as children, we were ok. We were not allowed negative influences coming from various freedoms and we did not need them. We needed a stable society and we had it.

Adults were not allowed the freedom to offend either. Did they miss it? Did they want it? Maybe, at times. Is there a reason to offend? If someone wrongs you, surely that can be seen as a reason. But if you don’t even know the person? You are a pig. Are you really a pig because I called you so? What does that make me? Am I more intelligent because I have just insulted you? Not really, just me channeling my energy in the wrong direction. Who am I to judge you? Practice your freedom to offend towards a police officer and see what happens.

People, we, are egoists (that’s also one of the reasons communism doesn’t work and why it is so hard to be a real christian). We want to feel important, or more important than others. We all crave attention. We don’t really want to be equal and to love our neighbor especially when he is different from us. He is a muslim, a christian, a hindu, an ilIterate, whatever. I, Charlie, I am an atheist. And everyone knows atheists are really smart, cultivated people. Unlike the others…because, really, what intelligent person in today’s era can still believe in a sentence like “God created Adam”. I, Charlie, criticize others because this may challenge them to re-consider their beliefs and maybe adopt mines. Because yes, mines are better. I make fun of politicians not because they bother me but just because, why not, and who’s gonna stop me. I am so free and I have to shout it! So free that, paradoxically, I have to attach myself to something – and I found sarcasm. It makes me feel admired, intelligent, it may, just may hide my lack of confidence or other insecurities I am hiding deep down. Or not?…then why Am I doing it? I could of course just be making fun of situations, issues, cases, because those really, those reflect what people are going through and may even be funny. But that’s not cool enough.

As a Christian I do not feel the need to offend nor do I see the point. If one feels good about oneself one can see the good in others. And vice versa.
As far as several other freedoms are concerned, so far we have only heard of lives being derailed by certain freedoms to produce and to consume – eg porn, drugs, violence. People who feel they have the right to do whatever they feel like with their lives, and they do. They want to feel so free to adopt vices and vain pleasures to the point they can’t get off the train anymore. Bye bye freedom there.

In fact, us, people, we like being told what to do. We need rules and regulations. It is comforting and it is how we come into this world, how we grow up. As children we need to listen to our parents. Once adults, we miss that structure and we attach ourselves to whatever we feel will fill that void. For some, it is an addiction called “freedom of”. For others it is the appurtenance to an extremist group. This is where I agree with censorship for those of things which have nothing good in them. Violence is allowed, brainwashed into our minds through movies and video games. If there is a percentage, any percentage of good in it, allow it. If not, censor it! It is what we as parents do for our kids. Except what we are really saying is – wait until you get big, then you may. You will be free.

My husband feels I am old fashioned. I may be. I feel one can be really, truly free only if he can have the control over himself. Think it’s easy, but it is often at the limit of the impossible. We, people, were trapped into systems throughout history which refrained our freedom on so many levels that now, in today’s place and time, we want to break those chains and take advantage of all possible freedoms out there. Except some are traps. Kind of like that wolf disguised in lamb skin. And there is nothing more difficult than being strong enough to make the (good) choice. Good luck to all of us.

Free to love,
Nina