Over-reaching authoritarian powers dislike puns and other figurative language; they prefer language to be literal and thereby easier for them to monitor and control. A literary critic said something like this once in reference to post-colonial writers using the English language in a figurative or subversive manner (can’t remember his name right now).
It came to mind this week with the decision by Facebook to censor remarks by President Trump regarding the small likelihood of children contracting Covid-19. I think Facebook (and Twitter, but I don’t use or follow that) fell for a straw-man argument. Trump never said children were entirely immune, as the media have paraphrased him incorrectly. He said “almost immune.” Here are the reasons I think the censorship of his remarks was wrong:
— Credible authorities have found children are much less likely to get Covid-19 than adults and especially the elderly. If children have serious pre-existing conditions or compromised immune systems, they may want to stay home or in a hospital for a number of reasons, not just Covid-19.
— Trump speaks in hyperbole; everyone knows this. He calls it “truthful hyperbole.” Be that as it may, if you start censoring hyperbole, what is next? Irony? Puns? Metaphors? Most of my Facebook posts would be censored if that were the case. My FB acquaintances might appreciate that. Haha.
— Trump’s remarks, however hyperbolic, are consistent with the findings of a thoroughly researched and sourced CDC report from July 23 that concludes: “The best available evidence from countries that have opened schools indicates that COVID-19 poses low risks to school-aged children, at least in areas with low community transmission, and suggests that children are unlikely to be major drivers of the spread of the virus. Reopening schools creates opportunity to invest in the education, well-being, and future of one of America’s greatest assets—our children—while taking every precaution to protect students, teachers, staff and all their families.”
— Censoring the president’s remarks ironically drew more attention to them than they would have otherwise had. “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.” I think his remarks were mundane; it’s the censorship that drew attention to them.
I have personal experience with FB censorship. A few months ago, just after setting up a professional FB account for my book and research, a hacker began repeatedly posting angry memes showing an overweight person’s posterior. I said something like, “we can agree that you’re an ass.” I soon got a censorship notice about this, warning that I may be expelled if further instances happen. As far as I know, FB took no action against the hacker.
But heck, it’s Friday. As James Joyce put it in Finnegans Wake, “All moanday, tearday, wailsday, thumpsday, frightday, shatterday till the fear of the Law.” Or as The Cure put it, “Friday I’m in Love.” Or as the French say, “bon weekend.” Or as Louis Armstrong put it, “C’est si bon.”