The Honest Courtesan

Some of you have trouble understanding this, so I’m going to spell it out: you are not stupid.  You have a brain, and it allows you to weigh data and make judgments for yourself.  You don’t have to do it alone; you can consult the opinions of people you trust, people who know more about a given topic than you do and, as far as you know, have never lied to you.  But to do that, information must flow freely; beware of those who say, “I have all the information you need, and those who express different opinions from me should be silenced.”  And most of all, beware those who rely on your unquestioning acceptance of their claims to increase their own power; they are not your friends.  Accept no source as an absolute authority, especially when they demand you should.  No church, no government, no prophet or politician.  Thoughts and ideas in themselves are never your enemy, even if they are silly, stupid, misinformed, or dead wrong.  Those who want to stop you from hearing, thinking about, and weighing those thoughts and ideas for yourself are your enemies, especially if they claim to know best for you.  And no, the ideas you personally dislike are not an exception.  Neither are your favored “authorities”.  Not the Pope.  Not your “leaders”.  Not Marx.  Not any Prophet.  Not me.  Not the entertainers you like.  Not journalists.  Not podcasters or bloggers.  There are no absolute truths.  And lest you be inclined to be a smartass: yes, that includes everything in this thread.  Accept it or reject it for yourself as you please.  But you have no right to impose your preferences and beliefs about this subject, or any other, on anyone else.