The Personal Website of Mark W. Dawson

You Can Do and Say Whatever You Want

Part of the lyrics of a famous Cat Stevens song “You Can Do (Whatever)!” are:

You can do whatever you want to do.
Anything you want? you can do.
You can say whatever you wish to say.
But if you do then, please make it true.

No, you can’t do whatever you want to do, nor can you say whatever you want to say.

You can’t do something illegal, nor should you do something immoral or unethical. You can’t do something that you have no or little skills, talents, abilities, nor knowledge or intelligence. And you should not do physical violence or harm against persons or property.

You can’t say anything that is slanderous or libelous. You shouldn’t say anything that is untrue or cannot be backed up by facts. And remember that just because you "believe" something to be true does not mean that you "know" something is true, and just because someone says it is true doesn’t make it true. And you shouldn’t say anything to encourage intimidation or violence against persons or property.

As the movie character Dirty Harry once said, “A man has got to know his limitations”. Know your limitations, and if you are dissatisfied with your limitations then you should work hard to overcome your limitations. But do not assume that if you want to do or say something you can just do or say it if you have limitations.

As the last line of the lyric states “But if you do then, please make it true”. Truth and facts should always be the basis of what you do or say. But truth and facts seem to play little part in today’s partisan political environment. Democrats, Progressives, and Leftists have utilized many visceral emotional words and terms about Republicans and Conservatives. And many Republicans and Conservatives have responded in kind. When these visceral words and terms are utilized both sides should condemn the other side for utilizing these words and terms. When the Republicans and Conservatives use words and terms cross the line of propriety they are often condemned by other Republicans and Conservatives. When a Democrat, Progressive or Leftist use words or terms that cross the line of propriety they are most often not condemned for these words and terms by other Democrats, Progressives, and Leftists. With this silence, the Democrats seem to be saying “We can utilize any word or term to describe Republicans and Conservatives, but Republicans and Conservatives can only utilize words or terms that we approve of”.

This is most certainly not fair play, and indeed, it is an attempt by the Democrats to try to silence or demonize Republicans and Conservatives. This is not only harmful to the person the words and terms are directed at, but it is harmful to “A Civil Society”.