There Are No Two Sides

The Unite the Right rally was a white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017.

Freedom of Speech doesn´t Equal a Free Pass for Hate

In today’s world, we are watching a dangerous lie and distortion of facts (what´s new?) unfold, and that is a bunch of people invoking “free speech” to justify hate speech, white supremacy, misogyny, violent nationalism, and the resurrection of ideologies that have already led to mass suffering and death.

Oh, you don´t believe me? Well, here is a nice little example of what I am talking about. And it is so sad because it comes from a mom. A mom! The symbol of love and tenderness and caring. She repeated the hateful words to the child while holding her own child in her arms. What do you think that small child is going to learn from her? Love? Compassion? Understanding? Empathy? 

Sidenote: Click on the above link and read the comments, please. It will demonstrate the sad state of affairs we are in today.

There is something that must be said clearly: Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from responsibility.  It does not mean freedom from consequences. And in today´s world, in today´s advanced societies, after millennia of having gone through many horrible episodes of hurt and unnecessary suffering, of the world experiencing a constant movement to having a better awareness of our humanity, well it should be noted by now that freedom of speech definitely does not mean that all ideas are equally valid.

Yes, everyone has the right to speak. But not everything said has the right to be respected, promoted, or debated as if it’s morally neutral.

When someone defends Nazism or slavery or eugenics under the banner of “free speech,” they’re not exercising liberty, they’re exploiting it. They’re trying to blur the moral clarity that humanity has worked so hard to establish.

Free speech is a pillar of democracy, not a tool for justifying dehumanization.

There Are No Two Sides

I would dare to insist that there are several things in human history that should not be up for debate. We must be able to say, without hesitation, that in the past these behaviors were, and today are, deeply wrong. Now, they can be discussed in terms of their historical context. Nothing wrong with that. But if your main argument is to state that there is anything inherently positive to any of these points, then this only shows that you are arguing in their favor, which would mean that you are against any of the positive changes in norms and ethics that humanity has achieved through its short history. If this is your goal, well, so be it.

Just remember how clearly you are standing on the wrong side of history, and how strongly you are demonstrating your subjective opposition to any sensible ethical gains that humanity has made. Which is ah, kind of very weird.

Anyway, here are ten examples where there is no “other side”:

1. Slavery – Reducing people to property. No economic, historical, or cultural argument justifies it. Ever.

2. Genocide – The systematic extermination of an entire group. Whether it’s Jews, Tutsis, Armenians, or Rohingya. There’s no “perspective” here.

3. Nazism / Fascism – These are not ideologies open to reinterpretation. They are built on hate, hierarchy, and violence.

4. Eugenics – The belief that some lives are more worthy than others. Science misused to justify forced sterilizations and killings.

5. Racism – Personal prejudice is bad enough; systemic racism has destroyed generations. There’s no dignity in defending it.

6. Misogyny / Sexism – Treating half the human race (your moms, your sisters and daughters) as less than, legally and culturally. There’s no “traditional values” excuse for oppression.

7. Child Abuse / Exploitation – This is not discipline or culture. It’s harm.

8. Colonialism – The theft of land, lives, and identity under the banner of “progress.”

9. Torture – State-sponsored or otherwise, it is cruelty dressed up as control.

10. Ecocide – Destroying the Earth for profit, while knowing the consequences. That’s not “economic development”. That’s collective suicide.

Understanding the Past Is Not the Same as Excusing It

We often hear people say, “But that was normal back then,” or, “You have to see it in historical context.” And it´s true;  studying history in context matters. We must understand the pressures, systems, and beliefs that shaped decisions of the past.

But context does not create moral permission, nor does it automatically give any validation. Why not? Because Slavery was always wrong, even when it was legal. Because Misogyny was always unjust, even when it was universal. Because Genocide was always evil, even when it was carried out under a flag, a cross, or a constitution. Because Nazism was a national effort of extermination and domination, nothing more. 

Is there really anything to argue in favor of any of these points? What changed was not the morality of these acts, because they were all wrong from the get-go. What changed was our collective ability to recognize our moral failure.

Why This Matters Right Now

Today, powerful people try to revive or excuse many of these ideologies, dressing them up in cleaner language.

• Fascism is repackaged as “law and order.”

• Racism is reframed as “national identity.”

• Misogyny hides under “family values.”

• Ecocide continues under “market freedom.”

• And even Nazism is defended by some who say, “Well, there were good people on both sides.”

That last one, spoken by our U.S. President Donald Trump in a press conference after white supremacists marched through Charlottesville chanting “Jews will not replace us”, is a chilling example of false moral equivalence. Saying there were “very fine people on both sides” of a neo-Nazi march is not just incorrect, it’s morally bankrupt.

Where We Stand Today

Humanity is not perfect. We’re still grappling with injustice, fear, and prejudice. But there is a growing, shared understanding of what it means to be human, and what it means to violate that humanity.

Human dignity, equality, safety, and freedom are not left-wing or right-wing ideals. They are universal, and any belief system that denies those principles has no place in civilized discourse.

When we teach our children, when we shape our laws, when we write our stories, we must be clear about the lines we refuse to cross again.

What is Certain

Nuance matters when we discuss taxes, education policy, even foreign aid. But some things must be met with certainty, not compromise. If we can't say with full clarity that slavery was evil, that Nazism has no valid ideas and it was evil, that racism kills and it is evil, that misogyny and exploitation are violations of our shared humanity and it is evil, then we are definitely losing the moral ground beneath our feet.

We must stop pretending there are always “two sides.” Some things have only one side: the human one. It’s time we, all of humanity, understood this position with unapologetic clarity, all together.

Thanks for Reading. Abrazos.

Diego Rojas