Christians concerned about the state of the Internet are being encouraged to link up with the UK’s ultra-feminist, social justice warrior project, #ReclaimTheInternet, to help police online content they might deem “offensive” or “hurtful.”
In an essay for Christian Today, Andy Walton argues that no one is more victimized by Internet culture than the religious and that the Internet is “too important to be polluted by trolls.” Since safety comes in numbers, Walton argues that aligning with the SJWs running the program, which aims to eliminate “misogyny, sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, intimidation” and other abuse online, makes sense. The Internet, he seems to believe, should be a completely safe space.
There are a few problems with the idea, however. First, social justice warriors often cite organized religion as a genesis of misogyny, meaning, of course, that unless the religions participating ascribe to a very liberal set of values, they’re on #ReclaimTheInternet’s target list.
And while Walton speaks eloquently against the concept of censorship as an answer to claims of bullying and trolling, #ReclaimTheInternet and other “anti-misogyny” efforts in the UK have resulted in bizarre bans on things SJW’s simply don’t like.
For example, in an effort at combating sexual violence, in 2014, the British Board of Film Censors issued regulations banning various sexual acts from pornography deemed demeaning or violent. No longer can the UK’s adult film aficionados enjoy anything that involves whipping, spanking, role-playing or “aggression,” including rape fantasies. You can’t even think about pornography’s most ubiquitous content.
Certainly, Christian censors might find such a ban tolerable, which is why the alliance is so concerning. Fortunately, Walton is still convinced that free speech is a necessary evil, so there may still be hope yet.
