"If you have a big enough cage, you never know you're in one"

Where wealth and comfort gives a false sense of freedom. And blaming everyone that's different for endangering that 'freedom (of speech)' makes us blind to see that the 'NORM' is conditioned by the powerful structures that benefit from our compliance. The very systems that profit from our conformity. I think the norm is based on fear, loss of the familiar that provides security. Economic interests are a response to this. It makes sense to take advantage of people who feel safer at the hand that feeds them. Noam Chomsky said: "The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum." And Erich Fromm said that people give away freedom to escape the fear of insecurity. The market then provides "safety" at a price: conformity. The idea of becoming isolated plays into the fear of loneliness and being excluded. We are also thwarted to find out that it is indeed possible to be truly free. Plato's cave is a good example of this. The fear of exclusion is deeply rooted in evolution. I really appreciate that you have read my nightly thoughts. Marlein Quadros