Why the Loudest Voices for “Liberty” Are Usually the Most Trapped
By Dr. Leo Croft | Stix Chat
Let’s be honest. We’ve all heard someone shout, “It’s about freedom!” like they’re gearing up to deliver a baby bald eagle wrapped in a flag. But here’s the real question: freedom from what, exactly?
And here’s the harder truth—most of the folks yelling loudest about “protecting their freedom” aren’t fighting for liberty. They’re fighting to feel like they matter in a life where they feel powerless, ignored, or stuck. Sound harsh? Maybe. But I want you to sit with it for a second.
Think about the person in your life who’s always ranting about “illegals,” about “the woke mob,” about how “they’re trying to control us.” Picture them. Say their name in your head. Now ask yourself: are they actually free? Do they seem happy? At peace? Capable of embracing change—or constantly panicking about it?
Chances are, that person isn’t marching through life with confidence. They’re drowning in frustration, grasping at slogans like lifeboats. Psychology tells us that when people feel stuck—in their job, their marriage, their identity—they often don’t admit it. It’s too painful. Too personal. Too real. So instead, they turn outward and look for someone to blame. That’s called displacement. And when they blame someone weaker? That’s projection.
They can’t deal with their own discomfort, so they turn immigrants into a threat. They can’t face their own fear of change, so they turn queer folks into a conspiracy. They don’t understand their own anxiety, so they turn masks, pronouns, or books into enemies. And they wrap all that fear in a flag so they don’t have to confront what’s actually happening: they feel trapped inside their own life.
Let’s call it what it is. The flag isn’t the issue—it’s the shield. And behind that shield? The man who never became the leader he thought he’d be. The woman who sacrificed her entire identity for others, and now resents everyone who’s free. The neighbor who hasn’t felt in control since their town’s last factory shut down. The parent whose kids are growing up in a world they don’t understand—and it scares them.
So they scream about “freedom.” But what they’re really saying is: “I feel small.” “I feel left behind.” “I feel scared and don’t know how to fix it.”
People can’t be both free and afraid of everyone else’s freedom at the same time. So they start building cages—for others, and for themselves. They vote for cruelty. They cheer for oppression. They justify policies that hurt people because it makes them feel like they’re finally in control of something. They’ll call it patriotism. But it’s really just pain with a bullhorn.
The next time someone goes on a freedom rant, I challenge you to pause. Picture them clearly. Call them by name in your head. Now say this to yourself: “They’re not the enemy. They’re the evidence.”
Evidence of how this system breaks people down. Evidence of what happens when we teach people power is a prize, not a practice. Evidence that the cruelty they cheer for? It’s not strength. It’s desperation.
And while that doesn’t excuse the harm—they still need to be held accountable—it does help explain why so many folks are so damn loud about liberty… when they’ve never actually felt free themselves.
– Dr. Leo Croft | Stix Intel
“Don’t mistake volume for victory. Silence often screams louder.”
