I read the Royal Gazette. I don't read the Mid Ocean. There is only so much a man can take. I do read the more middle of the road Bermuda Sun, but I often wonder if they actually have any point of view at all. It's easy to see the enemy, all you really have to do is look. In the online community there are a lot of people who are making their points felt. Christian Dunleavy had Politics.bm, there was limeyinbermuda, both are defunct, and now the somewhat active Bermudasucks.com promote one way of thinking (regardless of what the sensible claim). These anti-government (or pro white-man) media formats in Bermuda serve the purpose for which they were created.

On the other side we have site such as Progressive Minds, Bermy Onion Patch and others that promote the flip side. This freedom of speech thing is a real pain in the butt. Listen to the beat of a drum for too long and you automatically move to that beat. I realize that it's a weird analogy, but it's the truth. We aren't alone in the world either. Media organizations are reknowned for making their point, whether that's the point you agree with or not, it doesn't matter. Someone out there reads, listens or watches this hype, and for the most part the followers believe it. Even respected news organizations such as the New York Times are seen as having a distinct point of view. The question is... who do you believe?

One benefit of living in a free world is that anyone and everyone has a right to express himself or herself without reprisal. The key to all of this freedom is not so much in what these people have to say, it's more the people who would blindly believe anything that is placed in front of them. Much like the bible-beating recruiters for god (or God) there are many different versions of the truth, pick one and believe. You can rest assured that if you look hard enough you'll find a view that you like and become a convert.

Be careful my friends. Freedom of speech is a path paved with perilous peaks. As fast as you find someone who agrees with you, you will find others that don't. In Bermuda we are either black or white as it simply doesn't pay to be "grey". Funny enough, in our society we have more than enough reasons to be "grey" but we simply fail to recognize it. What is increasingly difficult is the idea that our world, and more importantly, our island has allowed the propagandists to promote "hate" as a way of getting their message across. Dangerous times indeed.