We have been down this road before as a human race, and we have seen the death that lurks in the shadows of the twists and turns along this same path. We know the inhuman and unjust endings of these actions when fully come to terms, yet we somehow repeat to ourselves, "it could never happen again."

We believe that we have evolved and are too enlightened, intelligent, and knowledgeable to carry out the atrocities of history. Yet, our willingness to vilify, dismiss, and shun those with different opinions says otherwise. The path to totalitarianism and authoritarianism begins innocently enough.

It begins with only canceling statements we don't like. Words that maybe are wrong, morally questionable, or inflammatory. We feel justified because the comments shouldn't have been said in the first place, so aren't we doing the right thing in having them canceled? We make excuses when "private companies" engage in digital book burning in America. We say, "They are private businesses and can do what they want." We excuse and justify the elimination of what we disagree with as though removing these "dangerous words" is our mission to usher in Utopia.

This quieting of voices was not the end, only the beginning. The next step after silencing was eliminating them entirely from forums and social circles. A woke police of the modern-day public square, stopping statements that they deem untruthful, misleading, or "dangerous." They also seek to remove the people sharing the information.

“Yet, our willingness to vilify, dismiss, and shun those with different opinions says otherwise. The path to totalitarianism and authoritarianism begins innocently enough. ”

Sadly, the third step in the process is already happening as well. It is this belief that the mere presence of someone with whom we disagree is "harm." There have been several examples, but most notably were the apologies from Podcast Movement for Ben Shapiro simply showing up at the event. These statements affirmed that his mere presence was harmful. Remember that this was a trade show at which his company, The Daily Wire, paid to have a booth.

Is this a country you recognize? I mean, I recognize this country; I read about it in history books as a child, and I heard the tales of horror, the lessons that were always cloaked as a warning of something we would never repeat as a species.

I mean, is this the America you recognize?

Regardless of your beliefs, political association, faith, or feelings, what we allow to happen should scare everybody across the nation. I could see the argument that we might dismiss it easily if what occurred at Podcast Movement was an isolated incident at an obscure trade show.

However, this destructive narrative, actions, and behaviors are not isolated. Just this last week, the most powerful man in the world, on multiple occasions, doubled down on hateful speech, vilifying half of the very country he was elected to lead and represent.

“Regardless of your beliefs, political association, faith, or feelings, what we allow to happen should scare everybody across the nation. ”

In a speech that a rational person could only describe as fascistic, Soviet-like, or evil-esque, he sought to drive a wedge between society and those he described as 'semi-fascist' and 'terrorist' simply because they don't agree with him. The message was clear, if you dare to step out of line, challenge the regime's narrative or even think of voting against the approved power, then YOU, yes, YOU are an enemy.

These events are history repeating itself, and America, as we know it, will not survive this if we continue down this road. These are the types of words and actions that came before the worst atrocities of history. It always starts with silencing those we disagree with, separating them from society, and then vilifying them as responsible for society's ills. The final step is something I pray we don't repeat.

We still have a choice as a country, but time is running out. It is time to decide the type of country we want to live in. Will we continue to be a country of diverse thoughts, ideas, and people, united under one flag? Will we once again embody the motto E Pluribus Unum, Out of many, One? Or will we be a country where we silence and remove from society all of those with whom we disagree? Ten years ago, this may have felt dystopian or hyperbolic to ask these questions in a blog post, but since leaders are actually saying the "quiet part out loud." It is time that we take them seriously and reply that here in America, we do not silence our opposition.

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Wayne Mulder is a law enforcement officer, speaker, writer and the host of the On The Blue Line podcast. Wayne is an advocate for law enforcement officer total health programs and a believer in empowering law enforcement officers in their personal lives. For more on his mission visit OnTheBlueLine.com.

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