Free speech is at the forefront of the Bill of Rights, but there is increasing concern that complacency among Americans is endangering that most basic of rights in a democracy.
Concern over “misinformation” has led to an assault by both citizens and legislators against social media for allowing “alternative facts,” and the social media giants have responded by restricting accounts or posts on certain controversial topics. In the beginning, those actions had widespread appeal because they targeted those espousing obvious lies, such as Alex Jones’ assertions about the school shootings at Sandy Hook. However, more and more people are being “deplatformed” not just for what they say but for being associated with people or groups that are not in favor.
“Censorship always starts as something people like, and then it turns into something that they don’t,” said David Sacks, an entrepreneur who helped in the creation of PayPal. “Back in the days when we were creating PayPal, in the early 2000s and late ’90s, there was really a sense that technology would support people’s ability to engage in speech and commerce, and for the first two decades of the internet, it really did. But for the last half-dozen years or so, we’ve really been restricting that access and trying to curtail it. The power of restricting people in both speech and commerce has taken on a life of its own. Those restrictions keep growing.”
In Sacks’ view, the social media companies serve as the modern equivalent of the town square, where people were guaranteed the right to peaceably assemble, and “anyone could put their soapbox down and speak, and anyone could gather around and listen. … Well, where do people assemble today? They assemble in these giant social networks that have these giant network effects. … And if you’re shut out of that digital town square, to what extent do you still even have a First Amendment?”
There are other ways censorship is intruding into people’s lives. Avi Zinger, who has been selling Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Israeli and Palestinian cities for almost 35 years, was suspended from the company for selling ice cream in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. An anti-Israel group, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, which opposes Israel’s existence, has been lobbying Ben & Jerry’s headquarters in Vermont, demanding that the company end sales in the occupied West Bank. The company, now a subsidiary of Unilever, finally gave in, ordering Zinger to cease ice cream sales there.
“But the primary consumers in those territories are Palestinians,” Zinger says. “In other words: BDS activists wanted Ben & Jerry’s to ‘help’ Palestinians by depriving them of jobs (and ice cream).”
It is a dangerous trend: Reacting without understanding the problem. Like calls to defund the police when what really is needed is better training and bringing in experts to handle problems such as mental health that are beyond the scope of police work.
It is important to listen to everyone, even those with whom we disagree, if we are to work out a solution that serves everyone. Blocking the concerns of those “on the other side” leads to greater problems in the long run.
Café Chatter
Today’s chatter is my own: To announce the birth of a second grandson at 3:07 a.m.
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Congratulations on your new grandson!