Liberal Authoritarianism

Abstract

In this article, SCSS President Stephen M. Krason examines the increasingly authoritarian trend present in American liberalism, particularly with regard to the matter of free speech. Once firm supporters of the ideal, today’s liberals are increasingly against it. The author provides a number of examples of this trend, citing suppression via government overreach and officially-issued mandates, the stifling of alternative news media outlets, and the worrisome pattern of censorship on university campuses across the country. This ongoing program of suppression constitutes a form of tyranny, and makes hypocrites of those engaging in it. There are also signs that there may be a backlash building against this trend, but it will take some effort on the part of the defenders of free speech to make it happen.