The Censorship Industrial Complex Has To Go
Those who threaten open discussion cannot be allowed to bring down free speech principles.
Matt Taibbi recently shared the Westminster Declaration, which was put together by several individuals who have written stories exposing the censorship industrial complex, and signed by multiple individuals from around the world who support free speech prinicples.
It's no secret that I'm a strong supporter of free speech principles. I have previously written about why debate is healthy and that social media companies should let the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution serve as the guide for moderating content.
The concern I have regarding the censorship industrial complex is that it has served, in part, as a way for the United States government to get around the First Amendment, by turning over decisions to non-government organizations, universities and social media companies, all while certain members of mainstream media champion them.
But the other part comes from direct government policies, as the Declaration cites, in countries such as India, Australia, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Germany. Some of these countries are ones in which Americans don't think of them as totalitarian regimes, but are behaving like them when it comes to free speech.
As the Declaration notes, words may sometimes cause offense, hurt feelings or discomfort, but that is not an argument for censorship. Sometimes discussions will get uncomfortable, particularly if people are having to question their own beliefs, no matter how strong they are.
And now comes the recent events in Israel, in which Hamas committed horrific acts of violence against Israeli civilians. That has led to protests springing up in which plenty of those involved have said things along the lines of "Israel deserved it."
And that, in turn, has led to the cries of people being "pro-Hamas" against anybody who dares to raise anything that might be critical of Israel, even if a person has made it clear that the Hamas attacks were inexcusable.
I agree with what Glenn Greenwald recently said about how the term "pro-Hamas" gets thrown around in debates, similar to how “pro-terrorist” got tossed around in response to criticism over policy implemented after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
And then, what of the censorship industrial complex, which in the United States has been utilized to shut down debate over COVID-19 policy and treatments, suppress the Hunter Biden laptop story and declare any questions raised about elections as "Russian disinformation"? Will we declare everyone that questions how Israel should respond to Hamas' attacks as advocating "pro-Hamas" or "antisemitism" and, thus, require that dissent must be suppressed and said people shut out of debates?
As much as I was horrified over Hamas' actions, I will not use them to justify silencing questions about United States foreign policy, U.S. and Israeli intelligence gathering or the treatment of Israeli or Palestinian civilians.
I wrote last week that I don't know all there is to know about the conflict, nor do I know what the solution may be. But I did say that a "forever war" doesn't benefit Israeli or Palestinian civilians. And the same is true for any form of censorship.
Yes, I know the New York Times did a terrible job with its reporting, particularly the headlines and utilized images, about an alleged missile attack on a Gaza hospital. However, were it not for free speech principles, how is one able to push back against a poorly written headline or a misleading narrative?
The best remedy for anything one believes is "bad speech" is more speech. But when it comes to "more speech," you have to understand how to be persuasive. It's not just a matter of pointing out what somebody got wrong, but to provide additional information to consider and to ask more questions as necessary.
Regardless of where one stands on any given issue, I hope people will realize the importance of free speech principles and stand for them at all times. I also hope people take the time to read the Westminster Declaration, understand what is going on and push back.
Simply removing those in power on one side of the political spectrum with those on the other side won't get it done. The censorship industrial complex must be reined in and ultimately dismantled.