Protestival
Our Approach
While we may not agree with everything you say, we definitely do agree that everyone should have the right to freedom of speech and information – In fact we think it’s essential for a healthy society.
We trust in the innate intelligence of human beings, and aim to collect, collate and curate information that may counter the mainstream narrative and is otherwise hard to find or actively censored.
We believe sharing thoughts and ideas drives our individual and collective evolution no matter the subject matter and that censorship and limiting freedom of speech and access to information impairs human intellect and the growth of healthy societies. Censorship is sometimes promoted as a means of engendering morality. In fact, it often does quite the opposite – it institutionalises intolerance, judgment and discrimination, as it marginalises certain viewpoints as unworthy of expression. In contrast, discussing all topics in a respectful, rational and tolerant manner is the litmus test of a truly civilised society.
No-one has the sole ownership of truth and there are often valuable insights as well as incorrect statements on both sides of any debate. It is often the suppressed viewpoints that are the most valuable – either as examples of good or poor choice: both fuel positive growth.
Underlying corporate and state censorship of information is the assumption that people are incapable of discerning the ‘right’ information for themselves. That protecting, filtering and shielding people from diverse opinions and perspectives is the only way to ensure a healthy society. We do not agree – we believe the flowering of human intelligence requires stimulation through diverse forms of information and the freedom to make choices based on it. Learning and development through trial and error is the cornerstone of growth. Only through the experience of dealing with the consequences of one’s choices in a nurturing and tolerant society does life’s innate intelligence flourish.
“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase ‘each other’ doesn’t make any sense.”
– Rumi
In that field all there is left to do is dance!